Hope for Ukraine, Fall of America, and Putin the Savior: The Supernatural in Ukrainian and Russian Media and Vernacular Contexts

In Russia and Ukraine, the supernatural often plays an important role in institutional state discourses. This may appear paradoxical, considering that, theoretically, these institutions represent the so-called rationalist paradigm of thinking. The present study shows that, in practice, state institutions constitute part of vernacular sociocultural dynamics where the supernatural is often a leading vehicle for communicating modernity, power, and perceived progress.