This paper examines the media instrumentalization of Holocaust memory in contemporary Ukraine and the role of memorial museums in maintaining ethical boundaries in public discourse. Drawing on cultural trauma theory, the study analyzes a media incident on 14 February 2022, in which Babyn Yar was referenced during a televised discussion as part of a hypothetical occupation scenario. The case is interpreted as a form of semantic transformation, where a symbol of mass atrocity is recontextualized as a rhetorical instrument, risking the normalization of violence and the erosion of historical specificity. The absence of editorial intervention and institutional response is understood as evidence of structural weaknesses in memory governance. The paper argues that, in the absence of a consolidated national Holocaust museum, symbolic authority remains fragmented, enabling such discursive distortions. Strengthening memorial institutions is therefore essential for preserving the ethical integrity of public discourse. How to cite: Fesenko, G. (2026). Media Instrumentalization of Holocaust Memory and the Role of Memorial Museums: The Case of Babyn Yar (14 February 2022). In Język i kultura ukraińska we współczesnej humanitarnej przestrzeni czasowej: aspekty komunikacji międzyjęzykowej i kształtowania kompetencji komunikacyjnych współczesnego specjalisty Wydanie elektroniczne: zbiór materiałów Międzynarodowej naukowo-praktycznej konferencji online ku pamięci filologa, dziennikarza i obrońcy Ukrainy Wołodymyra Mukana (Irpiń – Łomża, 20 lutego 2026 r.) (pp. 134–141). Irpiń: Państwowy Uniwersytet Podatkowy; Łomża: MANS. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.19642640.
Austrian Academy of Sciences (Thu,) studied this question.