Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainians have fought back with humor, creating a trove of war-related memes that have countered Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns. The Kyiv Independent has offered a handy guide to making sense of these Ukrainian memes that have been thriving on social media ever since a defiant Ukrainian border guard on Snake Island said “Russian warship, go fu-k yourself” on the first day of the war.
That meme made it to a Ukrainian postage stamp that was issued on April 13, and one-day later that Russian warship, the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, was turned into a submarine by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles.
Here’s a tweet from Ukrposhta, the Ukrainian postal service, announcing the winner of the contest to create the design for the postage stamp.
The memes have reflected the course of the war right up through the liberation of the southern port city of Kherson last month as Ukraine has moved from defense to offense.
This meme is based on a joke about former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose short term in office was compared to “the shelf life of a lettuce” in the Daily Star tabloid. In this case, the lettuce has outlasted the Russian annexation of Kherson province.
And since the Kherson region is known for producing some of the tastiest watermelons in the country, it didn’t take long for someone to create a meme replacing the head of lettuce with a watermelon.
When Russia’s military was retreating from Kherson, they not only looted washing machines, but even stole a raccoon from a local zoo, which inspired a series of memes, including a joke that the only “strategically important object” that the Russians managed to capture during nine months of war was a raccoon.
For the story, Kyiv Independent writer Daryna Antoniuk interviewed Christian Borys, creator of the popular Saint Javelin meme which depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the U.S.-made anti-tank weapon which played a key role in stopping Russian armored vehicles in their tracks in the victorious Battle of Kyiv. Borys said memes can offer some relief from the traumatic experiences of the war and can also keep people engaged and informed.
Borys also believes that Russia’s war has changed the way Ukrainians joke.
“Ukrainians have a dark, very biting sense of humor now because they are so, so angry,” Borys said. “Memes are a way to express that, but in a funny way,” he told the Kyiv Independent.
And the war-related memes are going viral on social media—some created by ordinary Ukrainians and others by Twitter accounts such as Ukrainian Memes Forces, Saint Javelin, and NAFO.
Here are some of the memes included in The Kyiv Independent story:
And for those still unaware of the NAFO phenomenon, the acronym stands for the North Atlantic Fellas Organization (NAFO), a social media movement whose members post comments and create memes to fight Russia’s fake news with humor. NAFO’s symbol is a Shiba Inu dog.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense even gave its own shout out to NAFO with this Tweet:
The Ministry of Defense has also gotten into the meme game itself. On the ministry’s official Twitter account there are memes making fun of Russia’s military capabilities. This recent Ministry of Defense post shows a photo of chocolates shaped like the hedgehog anti-tank defenses, saying that this is how they view Russia’s recently built fortifications.
And even President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not immune to being the subject of memes. During an interview with CNN, Zelenskyy said no one cooks him breakfast. Ukrainians noted the surprised expression on the face of his wife, Olena Zelenska, and joked that this was the most dangerous situation the Ukrainian leader faced during the war.
So do check out the Kyiv Independent story in which you’ll find even more memes and explainers of some of the popular meme themes. And in the comments section feel free to include some of your favorite Ukrainian war-related memes.