Analysis of the media discourse on the 2022 war in Ukraine: The case of Russia

Abstract

AbstractRussia's current policy toward Ukraine is an example of regionalization and re‐territorialization based on purely (geo)political reasons. The Kremlin uses different ‘markers’ and tools to reshape Ukrainian regional identity. The main purpose of this article is to reveal the role of the media in creating and sharing the Kremlin's narratives as a tool for the legitimization of its war on Ukraine and the manipulation of citizens' minds in both countries. This paper is based on the regional studies and discourse analysis methodology that enables a development from the meta‐level to the level of discursive practices in which Russian officials' rhetoric is changing the regional identity of neighboring countries. This paper thus starts by arguing whether there is a place for critical thinking in Russian mass media. It then identifies and describes key narratives from the Kremlin as represented in Russian media on the ‘special operation’ in Ukraine in 2022. The conclusions are grounded on a discursive analysis of articles from major quality nationwide daily Russian newspapers and online news portals (Moscow Times, Kommersant, Izvestiya, and Rossiyskaya Gazeta). The article concludes that Russian officials' rhetoric as widely spread by Russian media should be perceived as a tool used consciously by the Kremlin to reformat both Russian and Ukrainian regional identity. A shift from ‘Ukraine loses the war’ to ‘Russia is at war with the West’ to save Ukrainians and to protect Russia, its identity, and even its civilization, and the introduction of a special glossary can be used for a re‐territorialization that enables the existing geopolitical space to be changed.