When Songs Go to War: Pop Music, Propaganda, and Digital Soft Power in Russia’s War on Ukraine
27 February 2026
Free admission: registration required
This talk will examine the role of popular music as a tool of propaganda and soft power during Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. Moving beyond the idea of music as mere cultural background, Dr. Zaitseva-Herz will argue that songs function as active agents in contemporary information warfare, shaping emotions, legitimizing violence, mobilizing audiences, and normalizing political narratives. Drawing on case studies from both Ukrainian resistance music and Russian state-aligned cultural production, her talk will explore how pop songs circulate through digital platforms, social media, and algorithmic infrastructures, reaching domestic and international audiences in real time.
About the presenter:
Olga Zaitseva-Herz is an ethnomusicologist, currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kule Folklore Centre. Originally from Dnipro, Ukraine, she received her PhD at the University of Alberta in 2024 with a dissertation on Ukrainian songs in Canada, examining transcultural circulation, memory, and diaspora. Her current research focuses on the role of popular music in Russia’s war against Ukraine, with particular attention to propaganda, digital platforms, and AI-mediated musical production and dissemination. Her interdisciplinary work combines ethnomusicology, digital ethnography, and media studies, situating cultural production at the center of contemporary political processes. She has delivered guest lectures at the University of Alabama and the University of Illinois.
In parallel with her academic research, Dr. Zaitseva-Herz maintains an active practice as a performer and composer. Her recent creative work includes the contemporary opera project Bakhmut Rhapsody, which premiered at the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival in New York City in 2024.