From KGB Archives to Digital Media: Transformations of Historical Memory and Wartime Ukraine

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine (2014–present) has profoundly reshaped not only the geopolitical landscape of Europe but also the ways historical memory is revised and instrumentalized across the region and beyond. As the war continues, historical narratives are increasingly contested, rewritten, and weaponized, raising critical questions about the intersection of memory wars and military conflict. This panel examines how the war has transformed our engagement with historical sources — from the KGB archives to emerging digital narratives — while reflecting the enduring impact of the Soviet legacy and the contested nature of historical memory.

Through a cross-examination of KGB documents and contemporary wartime digital media, we will address methodological challenges in evaluating these sources, analyze how historical memory is constructed amid ongoing conflict, and consider the ethical aspects of working with evidence of both past repression and current violence.

Sub Unit

• History: Since 1990

Chair

• Catherine Wanner, Pennsylvania State U

Roundtable Speakers

• Nadiia Honcharenko, National Academy of Arts (Ukraine)

• Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, U of Alberta (Canada)

• Andriy Kohut, Sectoral State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine (Ukraine)

• Oleksandr Pankieiev, U of Alberta (Canada)

• Tatiana Vagramenko, U College Cork (Ireland)