Russian Public Diplomacy Research Articles

“Политическая война” 2.0 (США vs Россия – на пороге перемен)

The article reflects on the political war between the United States and Russia that started in 2022 with the launch of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. The author compares those events to the political war that occurred between the U.S. and the USSR in the 20th century, concluding that once again the American side has chosen to begin with a reactive and defensive approach to the conflict. This approach is primarily aimed at safeguarding the American population (as well as the population of American allies) from Russian influence. In order to achieve that, American public diplomacy institutes (key actors in terms of waging war for the people’s minds and hearts) focused on deconstructing Russian narratives and discrediting Russian information sources. At the same time, the ability of Russian public diplomacy institutes and media to reach Western audiences was paralysed by sanctions and other restrictions. However, the purpose of building resilient defenses to protect American public from foreign influence was mostly achieved through the system of governmental control over the internal information space. This system connects governmental structures responsible for countering disinformation with tech companies and leading social media, and thus allows censorship of every topic coming from any source if deemed concerning national security. After safeguarding the internal information space, in 2024, the United States moved towards extending the defensive approach to political war towards allies, aiming at building the same resilient defenses for their publics. Meanwhile, during the past years, the American public diplomacy, which suffered from atrophy, underfunding and lack of leadership since the end of the Cold War, was being reformed in a way that enhances its effectiveness, strengthens capabilities for dealing with target audiences and integrates a more politically oriented approach. Thus, while ensuring the protection of its population from the adversary’s influence, the U.S. have also been upgrading its arsenal of effective instruments required for political war and effective influencing of foreign public opinion. Bearing in mind the previous experience of political war between the two states, the author concludes that after securing the information space of allies and completing the modernization of public diplomacy capabilities, the Washington is likely to move from defensive to offensive tactic in political warfare. Moreover, those offensive and proactive actions will be most likely realized collectively, together with allies. A theoretical basis for such an approach is being currently developed through the emergence of “reputational security” concept in American expert discourse. This concept not only elevates the issues of reputation (of the states, democracy, liberal values) to the category of national security issues, but also pushes for collective action in terms of protecting one’s own reputation and undermining the reputation of an adversary.

Mechanisms of forming the image of the Russian Federation in China

The article is about the consideration of the mechanisms for the formation of an objective Russian agenda in the People's Republic of China against the backdrop of a growing trend towards the transmission of a distorted image of Russia by the United States and its allies. China is the most important ally for Russia at the present stage, and, like Russia, it sees a similar structure of the world order and takes an independent and independent position on international issues. Non-alignment with Western sanctions against Russia, as well as active support, which is expressed in increasing strategic cooperation, joint projects, the creation of new agreements that strengthen and develop existing ties in many areas, speak of an unprecedented level of support for China. It is interesting to take a more detailed look at the political interaction between the two countries, namely, the fi eld of public diplomacy and the mechanisms and methods that are used by the parties to promote the image of a partner country in their own country. As noted by A. A. Velikaya, describing the principles on which Russian public diplomacy should be based, notes that special attention should be paid to those countries that already have a positive attitude towards Russia, and efforts to win the critical masses may be ineffective. Taking into account the mutual recognition by Russia and China of the wording "comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction in a new era" to describe bilateral relations, it speaks of the readiness and need for mutual promotion of a favorable image of countries to strengthen dialogue between peoples. Of interest are the advanced methods applied by the two countries to achieve this goal.

Information confrontation between Russia and the USA: differences in the principles of public diplomacy, results of activities and prospects

This article examines the complexity of forming an unbiased foreign policy image of Russia with the background of the information war with the United States, examines the specifics of US and Russian public diplomacy at the present stage, analyzes the prospects of overcoming the barrier of negative perception of Russia to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with other actors in the world arena, examines the success of Russia in public diplomacy on the example of a new round of development of bilateral relations with friendly countries. The study focuses particularly on the influence of digital services as the main technical mechanism for exerting political and psychological influence on the formation of the country's image.

Formation of an objective perception of Russia in Latin America: problems and prospects.

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the formation of the national brand of Russia in Latin America, including in the context of the changing geopolitical situation in the world. The image of the state is an integral part of the culture and prestige of the country, which is a necessary factor for its sustainable development. The article examines the main directions of Russian public diplomacy in this region, the problems faced by the Russian government, and prospects. In this context, some recommendations have been given on the creation and implementation of new mechanisms, the promotion of possible projects and initiatives to form a more solid Russian public diplomacy in the Latin American region and improve the image of Russia as a whole.

Narrative composition of Russian public diplomacy: content analysis of the Facebook engagement of Russia’s embassy in Japan

ABSTRACT The article contributes to the discussion of Russia’s public diplomacy efforts to transmit and diffuse certain narratives to foreign audiences online. Utilizing the case of understudied Russia’s public diplomacy strategies concerning Asian countries, the study analyzes what narratives Russia’s embassy projected to the Japanese public from 2013 to 2019. The findings demonstrate that although the embassy gives preference to positive self-description over active advocacy, it constructs Russia’s image through history-dependent narratives. This practice is unlikely to contribute to the understanding of modern Russia, which its political elites are striving for. The study contributes to the overall understanding of the narrative composition that Russia constructs as a part of its public diplomacy efforts. The article also brings together elements of qualitative and quantitative methodology to conduct a content analysis of narratives online, which paves the way for further investigation of social media public diplomacy practices.

German and Russian Public Diplomacy Efforts in Kyrgyzstan: A Comparative Study of Norm Entrepreneurship

This article explores Russian and German public diplomacy efforts in Central Asia through the example of Kyrgyzstan. Due to a difficult economic and socio-political situation, Kyrgyzstan remains open to externally funded programmes and projects, including initiatives funded by foreign governments, and thus offers a unique environment for the study of public diplomacy. The article looks at transnational public diplomacy actors such as German political foundations and Russian-sponsored organisations active in the country. Overall, the article offers interesting insights into the nature and substance of the soft power policies pursued by Germany and Russia that are relevant for Kyrgyzstan and beyond.

The quest for influence: Examining Russia’s public diplomacy mechanisms in Africa

ABSTRACT This article examines Russian public diplomacy mechanisms in Africa. These include the intentional use of historical ties, various aid programmes in education and health, the targeted use of international broadcasting and digital media, and the exploitation of anti-Western sentiments on the continent. Russia employs these to win the hearts and minds of African publics for its national interest. The article first explores Moscow’s public diplomacy in general and analyses the challenges Russia faces in Africa, which has become a ‘dumping ground’ for public diplomacy campaigns by the US, the EU and its members, the UK, and China. The article argues that Russia’s public diplomacy in Africa is state-centric with little or no civil society involvement. This makes its message appear incredible. The article concludes that Russian public diplomacy efforts in Africa have intensified anti-Western sentiments in African countries where Moscow’s presence is strong.

Публичная дипломатия России на постсоветском пространстве в эпоху пандемии: старые вызовы и новые тренды

This article examines the activities of Russian public diplomacy in the post-Soviet region during COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Public diplomacy is interpreted as a soft power’s key instrument in promoting socially constructed narratives, which corresponds to the national interests of transmitting actor. Moreover, the paper reveals the main methods of Russia’s public diplomacy in particular region, including such a new ones as, for instance, «vaccine diplomacy». The intensification of Russian humanitarian aid is caused by the current pandemic situation. Consequently, Russian Federation got the opportunity to enhance its image, especially in the field of healthcare industry. However, the author emphasizes the inefficiency of the «shared past» message because this narrative generates negative neo-imperial connotations and associations among post-Soviet citizens. Besides, public diplomacy of Russia is fragmented and inconsistent. Nevertheless, the potential of Russian soft power lies in the religious and traditional family values, which should be articulated by the Russian political establishment more clearly. Thus, the article is aimed at reconceptualization of soft power and public diplomacy from the constructivist perspective through the complex analysis of the Russia’s approach to the realization of the public diplomacy strategy in the post-Soviet space.

From Gagarin to Sputnik: the role of nostalgia in Russian public diplomacy

From Gagarin to Sputnik: the role of nostalgia in Russian public diplomacy

‘Russia isn’t a country of Putins!’: How RT bridged the credibility gap in Russian public diplomacy during the 2018 FIFA World Cup

In the context of deteriorating relations with ‘Western’ states, Russia’s state-funded international broadcasters are often understood as malign propaganda rather than as agents of soft power. Subsequently, there is a major credibility gap between how Russian state media represents itself to the world and how it is actually perceived by overseas publics. However, based on the study of RT’s coverage of the Russian hosted FIFA 2018 World Cup and the audience reactions this prompted, we find that this credibility gap was partially bridged. By analysing over 700 articles published by RT, alongside social media and focus group research, we find that RT’s World Cup coverage created an unusually positive vision of Russia that appealed to international audiences. Our study demonstrates how state-funded international broadcaster coverage of sports mega-events can generate a soft power effect with audiences, even when the host state – such as Russia – has a poor international reputation.

Russia’s Public Diplomacy: From Soft Power to Strategic Communication

Russian public diplomacy has recently minimized its traditional approach of soft power and cultural diplomacy in favor of strategic communication involving political marketing and sharp power. This article discusses the theoretical implications of soft power, political marketing, and strategic communication for public diplomacy and reviews Russia’s conspicuous projects of public diplomacy in the domains of traditional and digital communication. It shows that Russia’s public diplomacy has recently exploited strategic communication and political marketing more often than soft power, dialogue, and engagement. As a consequence, despite new reforms and financial support from the government, Russia’s public diplomacy can neither win over target audiences nor improve its brand via foreign aid.

Russian public diplomacy in Latin America: specifics and institutions

The article examines the conceptual foundations of Russian "soft power" and the specifics of public diplomacy in the context of relations with the countries of Latin America. The study provides a comparative analysis of the representation of official and unofficial institutions for the availability of information resources and social networks to promote Russian public diplomacy in Latin America. On the example of Venezuela, it was revealed that Russia actively uses and develops the economic direction of public diplomacy in the context of "soft power". The author has concluded that in order to increase the effectiveness of public diplomacy in Latin America, Russia needs to develop more the representation of unofficial institutions on information resources and social networks. At the same time, the author argues that in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic that began in 2020, there is a significant potential to promote vaccine diplomacy and the development of the expert direction of Russian public diplomacy in Latin America.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities for Russian and American Public Diplomacy

COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities for Russian and American Public Diplomacy

Russian Foreign Policy and Public Diplomacy: Meeting 21st Century Challenges

Foreign policy is about setting the policy aims and goals of a given country in the competitive environment of international affairs. When analyzing it, one should pay attention to many factors, namely, economic and energy potential, military-technical means, the presence of trade and economic partners, political weight and state image in the international arena, state membership in various international organizations. You can also highlight a number of tools that also play a large role in the foreign policy of states. As a specific instrument of foreign policy, public diplomacy concerns the regulation and management of international relations with various global publics in order to realise those foreign policy aims and goals. Specifically, public diplomacy intends to create a positive reputation and brand of the country, simultaneously increasing the countrys soft power potential, which is based on external and internal sources. This article intends to track and analyse the challenges and the role played by Russian public diplomacy in terms of meeting the challenges of the countrys foreign policy agenda in the 21st century. These challenges have been in a state of transformation as the nature of the environment of international relations changed. As a result, Russian public diplomacy has needed to evolve along with the changes at the global level and consequently the shifting demands enshrined in the foreign policy concepts. There are several identified distinct political policy periods noted: attempts to integrate into the Western-led global order; cooling relations with the United States dominated global order; and preparing for multi-polar and a post-Western global order.

Hybrid and cyber warfare - international problems and joint solutions

Hybrid warfare is a significant threat to National Security and Countries in last 10 years. Hybrid activities are not new, but environment of cyberspace is completely different than before. We are witnessing a great expansion of the aforementioned fifth combat space, which knows no borders, fences, social or cultural barriers. Hybrid war as a form of endangering the security of sovereign states is primarily based on subversive activities in order to paralyze the state apparatus with the ultimate goal of changing the political leadership. This change of political leadership in the earlier period of history was far simpler and most often began and ended with armed aggression, the use of armed rebellion, or a coup. As modern societies increasingly turn to reliable alliances, mechanisms of collective security, conventional methods have become for quite some time less effective and outdated. The use of disinformation as an integral method of Hybrid Warfare has its roots in the concept of "ideological subversion". Ideological subversion is a term firstly defined by KGB in 1970th. KGB invented “Ideological subversion” as a tool of special warfare against civilians and administrative employees. To make it easier to follow the case study, the authors of the Hybrid War operation divide it into four phases: Demoralization, Destabilization, Crisis, and Stabilization. For Russia, the Balkans hold significant historic, cultural, and religious connections—shared ties that are actively propagated, and at times exaggerated, by Russian public diplomacy efforts and media narratives.

Development and Interaction for Globalization and Belt Road in Russian and Chinese Public Diplomacy

Development and Interaction for Globalization and Belt Road in Russian and Chinese Public Diplomacy

Foreign ministry’s spokesperson in public diplomacy: a case of Russia

ABSTRACT This article discusses the role of spokesperson in Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). A spokesperson’s official role in frontline diplomacy is viewed and analyzed through the lens of public diplomacy to promote a nation-state’s foreign policy when engaging with foreign audiences and influencing public opinion. This article first investigates the history and approaches for Soviet-acting spokespersons who primarily targeted Americans and Western Europeans through the media and TV, although in accordance with mutually accepted conditions of hosting states. The article then assesses changes in world politics and communication technologies and evaluates the digital public diplomacy dimension that has shaped the spokesperson’s communication strategies. Finally, the article evaluates current Russian MFA spokesperson Maria Zakharova’s responsibilities and identifies the strategies she embraces when communicating with targeted audiences. The article concludes that the role of a spokesperson in Russian public diplomacy is increasingly prominent and has moved far beyond a mouthpiece.

Актуальные аспекты деятельности Русской Православной Церкви в Армении

The present research featured the public diplomacy of Russia in Armenia. The paper focuses on the activity of the Russian Orthodox Church as an institute of civil society in the context of Russian public diplomacy. It describes mechanisms and instruments used by religious organizations in Armenia. The research objective was to analyze the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in Armenia as a special part of Russian public diplomacy mechanism. The authors employed analysis and synthesis to get a complex presentation of the subject, as well as induction and deduction to interpret facts. The historical method was used to study the phenomenon in its development. The network approach was used to study the current state of the phenomenon. The activity of the Russian Orthodox Church in Armenia is represented as part of Russian public diplomacy, which creates favorable conditions for achieving Russian foreign diplomacy goals. The results of the research can be used for studying principles and mechanisms of Russian public diplomacy. In conclusion, the authors claim that involvement of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russian public diplomacy can decrease the tension in Armenian public sphere. The tension is caused by various pseudo-religious movements that interfere with the restructuring of the local confessional space. Therefore, there is a growing need in a closer interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Armenian apostolic church.

Russia-afghanistan youth forum AFRUS-2019

At present, Russian politics are increasingly paying attention to interaction with Asian countries. It seems important to establish friendly relations among the youth of Russia and Afghanistan. To achieve the goals, the soft power methodology should be applied. With this attitude, the first ever Russia-Afghanistan international forum was developed and held, which received support from government agencies such as the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Russian Foreign Ministry, and Gorchakov Russian Public Diplomacy Support Fund.

Tweeting the Russian revolution: RT’s #1917LIVE and social media re-enactments as public diplomacy

Throughout 2017, the Russian state broadcaster, RT (formerly Russia Today), commemorated the centenary of the 1917 revolution with a social media re-enactment. Centred on Twitter, the 1917LIVE project involved over 90 revolution-era characters tweeting in real time as if the 1917 revolution was happening live on social media. This article is based on an analysis of a sample of tweets by users who engaged with 1917LIVE, alongside focus group discussions with its followers. We argue that a cultural studies perspective can shed important light on the political significance of RT’s social media re-enactment in ways that current studies of public diplomacy as a soft power resource often fail to do. It can advance soft power theory by offering a more nuanced, dynamic analysis of how state media mobilise, and how audiences engage with, social media re-enactments as commemorative events. We find that rather than promoting a unitary propagandistic narrative about Russia, 1917LIVE served instead to soften attitudes towards RT itself – encouraging audiences to view RT as an educator and entertainer as well as a news broadcaster – normalising its presence as a Russian public diplomacy resource in the international news media landscape. Our analysis of audience interactions with and interpretations of 1917LIVE affords insights into how the 1917 re-enactment worked as didactic entertainment eliciting affective identification with the characters of the revolution. Such public diplomacy projects contribute in the short term to a strengthening of the engagement required to create longer-term soft power effects.