Introduction: Russian Media and the War in Ukraine

2022

In this essay, I explore the nature of propaganda in a hybrid media environment through the example of Russian propaganda during the ongoing war in Ukraine. I start by briefly overviewing the Russian media system's development, focusing on the roots of cynical attitude toward journalism in the society. After analyzing propaganda strategies, I suggest the propaganda on demand concept, which describes the manipulation of public opinion by targeting different social milieus with specifically tailored narratives. In Russia's case, this approach is based on inconsistency and eclecticism. However, it seems well suited to the very logic of the digital realm, which helps the state deliver often-contradicting narratives to different target groups.

The seeming intractability of the conflict in East Ukraine can be explained by more than one factor. The paper argues that this war is based on the discursive construction of an enemy and much helped by demonization of the opponent. Ethnicization of political and economic differences between Ukraine’s regions makes compromise more difficult to reach. The invocation by the Ukrainian side of the identity markers of a savage, beastly outgroup, a “scum”, “subhumans,” “bastards,” when referring to the Donbass separatists, cannot but confirm the worst worries of those who might still be leaning to the idea of devolution and power sharing. The threats of legal punishment propel continued resistance. The author reaches a conclusion that an attempt to build a new Ukrainian nation by vilifying its Russophone constituents will fail. Political mobilization against the “Russian aggression” can be, at best, a temporary solution to the problem of the country’s unity. While the war against Donbass separatists consolidated Ukraine’s political nation, it has also demonstrated that the pro-Russian activists do not fit in there. It is still possible that meaningful devolution will help to heal Ukraine’s ethno-regional wounds. However, to assure such an outcome, Kiev and the West both need to stop molding an enemy figure out of Russia and Ukraine’s own Russian citizens.

2022

Lecture given as keynote speaker in the main session of the 13rd edition of the international scientific media conference "War Media Challenges: Media, Information, Disinformation, Propaganda", University of Bielsko-Biała, Poland, 18 November 2022

2019

The power of actors in contemporary conflicts is no longer simply defined by military​ equipment and the outcome of tactical operations but by the support of the public at home and within the area of operations. Russia has mastered the ability to conduct an information war—as shown during its conflict with Ukraine—in which media campaigns are targeted toward both domestic and international audiences. In this context, the concept of strategic narratives has become relevant as they are used to construct activities, themes and messages in a compelling storyline with the aim of explaining events, obtaining legitimacy and gaining public support (Dimitriu, 2012). The objective of this chapter is to examine how (and if ) the strategic narratives of the Ukrainian crisis are different on Russian television when they are broadcast to different audiences: domestic and foreign.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RUSSIAN STUDIES, 2020

Information is one of the most essential components of the ongoing hybrid war in Ukraine. It is a critical mechanism for perception management which directs the masses for certain goals. This article mainly composed of two parts. The first part concentrates on media discourses in Ukraine in the prewar period. Understanding this period is a vital issue which shows how narratives about the Donbas territory contributed for isolation of the territory from the rest of Ukraine. The second part focuses on Russia's information war in Ukraine. The research argues that domestic factors (mainly media and political leaders) which constructed a perception about "exclusiveness" of the Donbas region before 2014 are exploited by Russian media during and after the Euromaidan period to support its Hybrid War in Ukraine.

The ongoing crisis in Ukraine has its roots in the rich and complex history of the region. It reflects as well the Cold War climate of the late 21st century and shows signs of reconsituting those tensions into a new Cold War. In particular, a review of Ukrainian history, American media and how both shape the current trends in the global political climate are the focus of this paper. Using original research into press mentions, it hopes to reveal an understanding of how American media has portrayed this conflict and whether or not this reflects an accurate description of Ukrainian history as well as an honest and truthful telling of current events.

2016

Abstract: This paper focuses on media representation of the conflict in Ukraine through the language of hate and violence and the creation of the image of the enemy. We will make a comparative analysis of the narratives of Ukrainian and Russian national media followed by the recently emerged information channels used by insurgents in Eastern Ukraine. We will then analyze the European Union’s vision on the Ukrainian crisis and observe which discourse it chooses. While studying the conflict, we will attempt to approach it from the perspectives of different academic areas: conflict studies, mass communication studies and memory studies. Keywords: conflict in Ukraine, mass media, identities, verbal violence.

Mervi Pantti (ed.): Media and the Ukraine Crisis: Hybrid Media Practices and Narratives of Conflict, 2016