Portraying heroes and villains: Moldovan and Transnistrian print media during the 1992 war in the Dniester Valley

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article explores how the post-socialist media discussed and propagated one of the first separatist conflicts after the collapse of the USSR. It focuses on the 1992 Transnistrian war and explores two conflicting perspectives: Moldovan and Transnistrian perceptions of those involved in the war. The chronological frame is limited to the period of direct combat. The analysis centres on newspapers published at the time by both rival camps. Transnistria’s war for independence represents a good case in point for how pro-Russian separatism challenges sovereignty and impedes nation-building in post-Soviet states. The author examines the discourse of local newspapers, focusing on the portrayal of domestic and foreign “heroes” and “villains.” He argues that although the newspapers of both sides used a similar lexicon to dehumanize the adversary, in doing so, they relied on different ideological clichés. Transnistrians employed the Soviet paradigm of the “friendship of peoples” and exploited the collective memory of the past. Moldovans relied on emerging Moldovan patriotism and appealed to pan-Romanian nationalism. This study enhances our understanding of the media war and demonstrates how both old and new ideological clichés shaped its discourses during a confrontation where one side resisted separatism, while the other fought for self-determination.