Published: 2025-03-31

Russian Song Lyrics as an Anti-War Manifesto: Imagery and Themes of the "Year of War 22/23"

Kristina Vorontsova

Abstract

After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, many artists condemned this act of aggression. One significant example of anti-war art is a song that stands out for its rapid response to current events and its deeply personal tone, conveying emotions a broad audience can identify. This article aims to define the thematic scope and expressive tools characteristic of Russian-language anti-war song lyrics, created across various genres by poets and musicians who openly oppose Putinism and Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. The author focuses on the diverse “masks” of the artists, representing the traumatic experiences of Russians who disagree with state policy, among others. Repeating motifs such as toxic relationships with the homeland, the never-ending February, and nuclear threat will also be particularly important. The material for analysis consists of over 50 lyrics from the public playlist Year of War 22/23, which reflect the pacifist views of these creators.

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Vorontsova, K. (2025). Russian Song Lyrics as an Anti-War Manifesto: Imagery and Themes of the "Year of War 22/23". Przegląd Rusycystyczny [Russian Studies Review], (1 (189). https://doi.org/10.31261/pr.18040

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No. 1 (189) (2025)
Published: 2025-03-31


ISSN: 0137-298X
Ikona DOI 10.31261/pr

Publisher
Polskie Towarzystwo Rusycystyczne oraz Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego

Licence CC Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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