Dr. Olena Zinenko

She is currently affiliated with the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict at Ruhr University Bochum, where she leads the postdoctoral project Peace Meaning Streaming: Communication of Resistance in the Ukrainian War Context (2025–2027), supported by the Philipp Schwartz Initiative.

Born in Kharkiv, Zinenko studied philology and journalism at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Her doctoral dissertation, defended at Jagiellonian University, examined public events in Ukrainian media as spaces for the representation of diverse voices and the formation of public opinion.

Before entering academia, she worked for more than a decade as a journalist and editor in television, radio, and print media, later focusing on public cultural projects and higher education.

Her research addresses digital media, war narratives, media literacy, and the visibility of marginalized experiences in contemporary communication environments.

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she has continued her academic work in Germany as a fellow at European University Viadrina and Centre for East European and International Studies.

She also collaborates as a media analyst with the Ukrainian CAT-UA team and contributes to the peacebuilding initiative Ukraine: Visions of Peace During War supported by PeaceWomen Across the Globe.

Alongside her academic work, Zinenko has been active in Ukrainian civil society since 2016, advising NGOs on strategic communication, media education, and media literacy.

She co-founded the human rights and inclusion festival InclusiONFest and worked as a trainer and mentor in the UNICEF UPSHIFT programme supporting youth civic engagement.

Her work emphasizes academic freedom, public dialogue, and storytelling as essential foundations for democratic resilience and sustainable peace.