Authors

Discussion

While Russia has developed relatively successful strategic narratives over the past decades to project national image onto the world stage, attempts to create justifications for its invasion of Ukraine have not been as effective. This paper examines how Russian President Vladimir Putin used speeches and other public statements to project specific rhetoric about Ukraine, namely that the Ukrainian people are one with the Russian people and Ukrainians need salvation from Nazis backed by Western influence. While some of this messaging intersects with long-term Russian strategic narratives that are anti-Western and elevate Russian nationalism, Putin’s discourse about Ukraine has unique elements. The paper analyzes Putin’s article “On the Historical Unity Between Russians and Ukrainians” published in July 2021 as well as 19 documents posted on the Russian presidential website in the following year. The analysis shows how Putin’s narrative about Ukrainian propaganda departs from reality much more significantly than previous Russian strategic narratives, in particular by blaming the Ukrainians for the war. This ‘distorted mirror’ – a facet of propaganda that blames the victim for the aggressor’s actions – is particularly prevalent throughout Russia’s propaganda about Ukraine. While disinformation has always been a factor in Russian propaganda, this study finds the space between reality and rhetoric significantly increased for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.