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Valeria Shashenok and her sarcastic TikTok videos on the Ukraine war

2022-05-28T10:54:44.581Z


Ukrainian Valeria Shashenok transfers TikTok memes to life in war – often ironically and sarcastically. Her black humor gets millions of clicks. But there is also criticism.


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Valeria Shashenok has become one of Ukraine's most prominent TikTokers during the war.

Millions of people have seen her videos from the air raid shelter in her hometown of Chernihiv.


Valeria's videos show everyday life in the war, the rubble after Russian attacks, but accompanied by upbeat music and a sarcastic:

"Thanks, Putin!"

.

War, TikTok aesthetics and black humor - how does that fit together?


Valeria Shashenok, TikTokerin

I heard the sirens all day long and my brain refused to accept the information.

That's why I decided to make fun of it.

And I'm not the only one.

All of Ukraine jokes about Russia.

For us it's part of our culture, it means we're strong enough to joke about it.


The most successful video by the 20-year-old photographer, who was popular on TikTok and Instagram even before the war, has around 50 million views with travel videos and photo projects.

But it wasn't until she started using typical TikTok memes like "things in my house that make sense" in a war context that she became known around the world.

Again and again she shows the destruction of her city, commenting here with a sarcastic:

Putin has repaired the hospital, should he do it in Russia.

Valeria Shashenok, TikTokerin

My jokes on TikTok are very simple.

For example, I show my breakfast in the shelter, boiled eggs - so quite simply: Putin's eggs.

Or my father makes coffee with a Bunsen burner because we didn't have electricity.

I then just imagine holding that fire to Putin's butt.

Valeria Shashenok, TikTokerin

It's the easiest way to let people know what's going on.

I can show the truth

But in mid-March, after 17 days in a shelter hiding from Russian army attacks, Valeria couldn't take it anymore.

She decides to flee Ukraine.

Your parents stay there.

Via Poland and Germany, she makes it to Milan, where a host family is waiting for her – she documents her escape in a music video.

She continues in exile: From Italy she tells her 1.1 million followers that her 18-year-old cousin died in the war.

Valeria Shashenok, TikTokerin

I wanted to show people that this happened to me, that it's real and not a joke... my dad called me and said, 'Why are you posting this?

You have to ask his mother.

Are you all about the clicks?'

He's weird.

A criticism that is also echoed in individual comments on her videos: Shashenok is only interested in attention and reach, she now lives a comfortable life abroad and makes fun of the suffering of the Ukrainians.

Valeria Shashenok, TikTokerin

Do these people want me to stay in the bunker or someone to kill me?

I dont know.

Why should I be afraid of what people think?

I am at peace with myself.

Valeria's story is now also available as a book.

She would like to add the chapter "Return to the Ukraine" as soon as possible. But there are already some family reunions: with her brother and niece, who have lived in Germany since the beginning of the war.

Source: spiegel

All life articles on 2022-05-28

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