War in Ukraine – an Interview with Dr Taras Fedirko

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.

This collection of articles focuses on the Russian information war campaign that has accompanied and fueled the war in Ukraine. Of course, neither side has a monopoly on the use of propaganda and disinformation, and the latter are always present in any war. 2 But we have chosen to focus here on the Russian state media machine, as a phenomenon that not only looms especially large over the events of the past year but is also bound to continue to play a major role in shaping future developments in the region and beyond.

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.

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.

Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 2018

Media and the Ukraine Crisis is a collection of essays that attempts to understand new ways of waging and narrating a war in the digital era. Its contributors rediscover the role of the media in contemporary international conflicts using the Russian-Ukrainian crisis as a starting point. That crisis, as almost all of the 11 chapters claim, initiated a new Cold War. It has been unfolding during the past four years, changing discursive practices, political processes, and relationships between media, citizens, and other social institutions. Today, when the new Cold War is at its peak-with the new anti-Russian sanctions and espionage scandals-the book becomes even more relevant for understanding the mediatized nature of conflicts and role of the media in their enactment, escalation, and resolution. Using the concept of "cultural chaos," the book demonstrates a structure of a new discursive order, where information flow is porous, hegemonic control over agendas is almost impossible, and traditional propaganda is not quite effective. Pantti, the editor, is head of Media and Communication Studies at the University of Helsinki. Examining the Ukraine conflict, its influence on the media, and the way they affected the course of the crisis, this edited volume makes a number of interesting theoretical contributions. They concern new media practices and actors (Part 1) and representation of the conflict in the media (Part 2). I see four theorizations as particularly useful for interdisciplinary scholars as well as researchers who work in the areas of journalism studies, media and communication studies, and Russian and East European studies. First, the book contributes to the development of the concept of hybrid media that does not disregard traditional media in favor of digital ones, but acknowledges their power and the processes of their hybridization with the online realm. Second, examining changing relationships between media consumers and producers, the authors make an interesting point about the role of "prosumers" (aka those who both produce and consume media content). Chapter 2 sees in open source journalism and user-generated content opportunities for nonelite actors to interfere and contest a dominant narrative. However, Chapter 3 complicates this view by 812780J MQXXX10.

From the Ukraine to Ukraine A Contemporary History 1991-2021, 2021

This is the Introduction and Table of Contents of the collection, edited by Mykhailo Minakov, Georgiy Kasianov, Matthew Rojansky, where our chapter paper is published

JMCQ, 2018

Media and the Ukraine Crisis is a collection of essays that attempts to understand new ways of waging and narrating a war in the digital era. Its contributors rediscover the role of the media in contemporary international conflicts using the Russian-Ukrainian crisis as a starting point. That crisis, as almost all of the 11 chapters claim, initiated a new Cold War. It has been unfolding during the past four years, changing discursive practices, political processes, and relationships between media, citizens, and other social institutions. Today, when the new Cold War is at its peak-with the new anti-Russian sanctions and espionage scandals-the book becomes even more relevant for understanding the mediatized nature of conflicts and role of the media in their enactment, escalation, and resolution. Using the concept of "cultural chaos," the book demonstrates a structure of a new discursive order, where information flow is porous, hegemonic control over agendas is almost impossible, and traditional propaganda is not quite effective. Pantti, the editor, is head of Media and Communication Studies at the University of Helsinki. Examining the Ukraine conflict, its influence on the media, and the way they affected the course of the crisis, this edited volume makes a number of interesting theoretical contributions. They concern new media practices and actors (Part 1) and representation of the conflict in the media (Part 2).

2019

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.