Gendered Violence, Genderless Frames: The Politics of Domestic Violence in Russia and Ukraine on the Eve of Full-scale War

Abstract Although policies against gender-based violence gained widespread acceptance in the twentieth century, seemingly global gender standards have not evenly diffused. Indeed, despite shared (post)socialist experiences, Ukraine has criminalized domestic violence (DV) while Russia has not. However, discursive analysis of 127 public texts published from 2011 to 2021 reveals that public talk on DV in both countries retains a similar genderless character—a surprising finding for Ukraine, which continues to harmonize with liberal European gender norms. Extending the work of Popova and Shevel, I argue that the “escalatory cycle” characterizing Russo–Ukrainian relations in the post-Soviet period can explain their divergent policies on DV, as well as their shared frames. This study highlights the limited salience of Western feminist frames in DV prevention efforts. It contributes to scholarship on norm diffusion and backlash, exploring how push–pull mechanisms and geopolitics guide the adoption and durability of ideas about gender.