Who Gets to be a Hero? : Veterans, Gender, and Disability in Ukrainian Media

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines how Ukrainian media discourse constructs post-2022 veteranhood, focusing on gendered and non-traditional veteran identities. Utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this thesis analyzes Ukrainian-language media texts produced in 2025 to identify patterns of valorization, stigmatization, and recognition. The findings suggest that media narratives remain shaped by entrenched ideals of militarized masculinity, privileging stoicism and resilience. While women and disabled veterans are becoming increasingly visible within this media space, their recognition remains largely conditional and constrained within narratives of resilience or aesthetic conformity. At the same time, emerging counter-discourses are also increasingly normalizing vulnerability, caregiving, intimacy, and collective responsibility that challenge the traditional warrior ideal. Thus, Ukrainian media discourse reflects a transitional and complex landscape wherein militarized masculinity continues to dominantly structure veteran legitimacy, while previously exclusionary boundaries are selectively renegotiated. These emerging discursive dynamics have vital implications for veteran reintegration, social inclusivity, and the transformation of traditional gender hierarchies in post-war Ukrainian society.