A Mosaic of Resistance: Visual and Textual Testimony of the War in Ukraine

Abstract

Lithuania’s public sphere and cultural landscape has changed noticeably as early as 2014. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, i.e., the annexation of Crimea and initiation of a military conflict in eastern Ukraine, has made the threat of war in the region palpable for Lithuania as well. The rise in anxiety prompted more vocal discussions about defense, questions of civil security, and search for historical parallels. In 2022, as Russia escalated the war into a full-scale invasion, this previously experienced threat was felt as something directly affecting Lithuania’s everyday political, cultural as well as people’s personal life. The number of publications on the war has increased, as has the number of books, studies, testimonies, and analyses about Ukraine being translated into Lithuanian. The war became not only a subject of study but also a testimony to a living and still-evolving experience. This dynamic demonstrated that the public values not only factual information but also the opportunity to better understand the processes of war, their historical continuity, and their impact on society. The publishers of the book Ukraine 2022. Resistance note that the book is dedicated to other countries so that they could learn from the Ukrainian experience. They hope that literature could serve as a bridge to convey this experience and strengthen solidarity.