We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Olena Melnykova-Kurhanova for her time and commitment during her research stay at the University of Passau.
Olena Melnykova-Kurhanova is a professor at Mariupol State University, Ukraine, where she works at the Faculty of Philology and Mass Communication.
As part of her PICAIS scholarship, she conducted research from October 2022 to March 2023 and from October 2023 to March 2024 at the Chair of Political Communication with a Focus on Eastern Europe and the Post-Soviet Region of Prof. Dr. Florian Töpfl. The topic of her research project is: "Public Communication in a City under Attack: Russia's International Influence on the Citizens of Mariupol".
The most important questions dealt with the changes in the media landscape during the siege of the city of Mariupol last year and which techniques, methods and instruments the attackers used during the siege and gradual occupation. To this end, relevant scientific publications, media reports, social media posts and photos were analyzed. In addition, an application for an ethical review of the project and a draft research article were prepared and 22 citizens of Mariupol were interviewed. Professor Melnykova-Kurhanova was thus able to create a typology and structure of mass media and public communication during the war, making it possible to assess the extent of Russian propaganda. This is one of the first studies to analyze communication and media consumption in a besieged city almost completely cut off from outside information. The study also helps to understand how digital technologies help to gather information under such repressive conditions.
On January 23, Olena Melnykova - Kurhanova gave a guest lecture on the topic "How Mariupol Journalists experienced the Conquest of their City". During the lecture she shared her own experiences of the siege of Mariupol and presented a study that included interviews with journalists from Mariupol who suffered from the siege and the information blockade.
It was a pleasure to welcome Prof. Dr. Olena Melnykova Kurhanova as Research-in-Residence Fellow, to work with her and to network. We hope she had a pleasant and enriching stay and will visit Passau again soon!