An ideational level of Ukrainian counterpropaganda: the communicative-discursive dimension

Abstract

The article reveals Ukrainian counterpropaganda ideational structures against Russian propaganda during an active phase of the hybrid war. The purpose of the research is to identify the Ukrainian counterpropaganda tools to debunk mythologemes and ideologemes of Russian narrative. The article uses the narrative-discursive analysis method to identify some narrative models of conceptualizing the war as variants of "Tales of the Just War" constructing the schematic narrative templates; structural-semantic modeling and the method of reconstruction of manipulative meanings known as the simulacrum. The main conclusions are that counterpropaganda operates with discourse-forming concepts, mythologemes and ideologemes by means of de-mythologizing, anti-mythologizing and revealing the contradictions of Russian narrative integrated with concepts-ideas of self-defense, messianism and reunification. Demythologization relies on some national narratives, symbols, and archetypes from the memory fields of the Ukrainians and aims at counteracting Russian mythologemes in oppositions: a pseudo-nation and pseudo-state vs. a full-fledged national identity and statehood; a tool of the West vs. people of Western culture; Russia as a liberator of the Ukrainians vs. a liberation struggle of the Ukrainians against Russian aggression. Anti-mythologizing relies on current facts and events that refute propagandist ideologemes, restore a distorted "possible world" and the roles reversed by Russian propaganda.