Drawing the Conflict: Global Political Alignment in Editorial Cartoons on the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–2022)

Abstract

This article examines global representations of the Russo-Ukrainian war (2014–2022) through the lens of cartoons as a form of visual political communication. While political cartoons have long been recognized as instruments of propaganda and public discourse, their cross-national patterns in contemporary conflicts remain underexplored. To address this gap, the study analyzes a corpus of 1,862 cartoons produced by 413 cartoonists from 56 countries, collected from online media, galleries, and social platforms. Using a systematic coding scheme, cartoons are classified into three categories – pro-Ukrainian, pro-Russian, and neutral – based on the narratives they reproduce. The analysis reveals a clear predominance of pro-Ukrainian representations (68.4%), compared to pro-Russian (17.2%) and neutral (14.3%) positions. This pattern is consistent across most world regions, although regional variation is observed, particularly in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, where pro-Russian and neutral perspectives are more visible. The findings also demonstrate that cartoonists from countries directly involved in the conflict (Ukraine and Russia) exhibit significantly more polarized and consistent positions, while those from other regions tend to combine or alternate between narrative perspectives. In addition, cartoons produced within the conflict zone employ locally specific symbols, memes, and references that are largely absent from global representations. The study contributes to research on visual political communication, media framing, and global information asymmetries. It also highlights the role of cartoons as active agents in shaping international interpretations of conflict.