The Value of Proximity: Boosting Heritage-Related Visibility of the EU and Ukraine in Brazilian News During Russia’s Invasion

As part of a larger study on the challenges and opportunities of the European Union’s heritage diplomacy in Ukraine, this article focuses on the content analysis of mainstream news in Brazil about Ukrainian cultural heritage after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It considers the coverage of two major newspapers in Brazil, O Globo and Folha de São Paulo - which together published fifty-six stories on the war and its impact on Ukrainian heritage - between February 2022 and July 2024. The study examines themes, topics and narratives present in the news articles. It also outlines the contexts in which the EU and its Member States appear in the news sample and offers recommendations to enhance their visibility in relation to cultural topics.