Digitally witnessable war from pereklychka to propaganda: Unfolding Telegram communication during Russia’s war in Ukraine

Abstract

The witnessing of wars is being transformed by digital platforms. In this article, the authors empirically investigate and develop the novel approach to the study of witnessing, in particular the non-institutionalized form of inconspicuous digital witnessing which thrives in platform communities in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine. By empirically examining communication practices on Telegram, a highly popular platform in Ukraine, the article explores the ways in which online platforms enable the rise of inconspicuous witnessing. Using a mixed-method approach, the authors trace the changes in digital witnessing practices in the beginning and during different periods of the Russian occupation, by investigating over 2,000 messages from a specific Telegram channel with over 150,000 users devoted to one occupied Ukrainian city. By identifying a number of changes in the analysed Telegram chat communication practices over time, they propose an empirically-grounded concept of the digitally witnessable war that acknowledges the critical polyvocality of contemporary war witnessing practices.