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Abstract

In the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the battleground extends beyond territories and trenches—into digital platforms, algorithmic spaces, and the realm of aesthetics. This paper explores how AI-generated sound, music and visual art have become emerging tools in the broader landscape of resistance, political messaging, and narrative control. Far from being passive outputs of technology, these creations are often strategically designed to resist, reframe, or reclaim agency in the face of armed aggression or authoritarian discourse.

Drawing on recent case studies from the Russo-Ukrainian war, the paper examines viral media that blends synthetic voices, AI-generated visuals, and remix culture with war-related themes, ranging from songs that mourn, mock, or mobilize, to deepfaked public figures and artificially produced protest art. These digital artifacts circulate widely on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Telegram, becoming part of an emotional and ideological struggle over meaning, memory, and legitimacy.

The presentation investigates how such content engages with—or subverts—narratives imposed by the state, and how AI-generated aesthetics offer a new terrain for affective resistance. In particular, it reflects on the dual potential of such art: on the one hand, to challenge disinformation and amplify marginalized voices; on the other, to contribute to or be complicit in manipulative or aestheticized forms of warfare.

This paper argues that AI-generated sound and visuals represent a hybrid strategy of cultural resistance—part spontaneous expression, part tactical intervention. It raises urgent ethical questions: How do we distinguish between resistance and propaganda? What happens when cultural production is designed not by humans alone but in collaboration with algorithms? And how can educators and scholars responsibly engage with this evolving landscape in classrooms, archives, and public discourse?

By placing these digital artifacts within a broader history of wartime art and subversive media practices, this paper reevaluates the aesthetics of nonviolence, creativity under constraint, and the role of synthetic media in contemporary political communication.