Countering a democratic backslide: The story of national identity on Ukrainian embassies’ social media (the US and Hungary cases)

This study discusses the digital diplomacy of Ukraine as it fights for independence and sovereignty imperilled by Russia’s military and information warfare. The research focuses on Ukraine’s national identity – rooted in historic and cultural heritage – represented on the social media platforms of Ukrainian diplomatic missions to the United States and Hungary. The 2026 V-Dem Institute report (V-Dem, 2026) defines these countries as nations experiencing democratic backslide, which is boosting the dominance of official narratives in the public information space. In the United States, under Donald Trump’s second presidential term, and in Hungary, under Viktor Orbán’s rule, official narratives of the Russo-Ukrainian war tend to be negative towards Ukraine. The article draws parallels between such narratives and Russian propaganda, discusses their framing effect on local audiences’ outlook, and maps how the diplomatic missions of Ukraine counter these narratives when addressing the American and Hungarian followers of the Embassies’ social media. The analysis of the media posts highlights the visibility of Ukraine’s national identity and heritage topic, the agenda-setting in its coverage, its visual accentuation, and its digital presence expansion through audience reactions. Informed by the analysis, the study proposes recommendations for strategic communication of Ukraine’s identity and heritage in digital diplomacy.