Russian Propaganda Tactics: Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in Ukraine War Narratives

Russian Propaganda Study to Analyze War Legitimization Strategies

A new research project will examine how the Russian government attempts to justify its war against Ukraine through various propaganda narratives. The five-year doctoral study, set to run from 2025 to 2030, will be conducted by researcher Levina de Wolf, who will analyze the argumentative and rhetorical strategies employed in Russian state communications.

The project aims to dissect the sophisticated ways in which Russian authorities have constructed narratives to legitimize their military actions since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. While the conflict’s roots trace back to 2014, the research will focus on how propaganda has evolved during the current phase of the war.

According to the research proposal, Russian state media and government channels have consistently promoted several key narratives to justify their aggression. These include claims that Ukraine is governed by a “fascist and neo-Nazi regime,” that Ukrainian citizens are facing oppression and genocide, and that Western countries effectively control Ukraine’s government, using it as a “springboard” to undermine Russia’s power and influence.

Rather than focusing primarily on the content of these propaganda messages, the research will investigate their form and structure. This approach represents a departure from existing studies, which have often overlooked the argumentative-rhetorical dimension of Russian war propaganda.

The analysis will utilize pragma-dialectics, a systematic theory of argumentation that incorporates rhetorical elements when examining argumentative texts. This theoretical framework will help identify how Russian propaganda balances two competing aims: convincing audiences through seemingly reasonable arguments while simultaneously employing rhetorical techniques to “win” the narrative battle.

A key concept in this analysis is what scholars call “strategic maneuvering,” which describes how propagandists attempt to present their arguments as reasonable while maximizing rhetorical effectiveness. This balancing act is central to understanding how the Kremlin crafts messages intended to gain domestic support for military actions and territorial annexations.

The research comes at a critical time, as propaganda and information warfare have become increasingly sophisticated components of modern conflicts. By systematically analyzing Russian-language propaganda texts, the project seeks to provide deeper insights into how authoritarian regimes justify aggressive actions to their citizens.

Media experts note that understanding these propaganda mechanisms has implications beyond the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The techniques identified could illuminate similar strategies used by other governments to justify controversial policies or actions, making the research valuable for scholars of political communication, conflict studies, and international relations.

The study also arrives amid growing global concern about disinformation campaigns and their impact on public opinion. By focusing on the structural and rhetorical patterns in Russian war justifications, rather than just debunking individual claims, the research may offer new approaches to identifying and countering propaganda narratives.

When completed, this doctoral project could provide valuable insights for policymakers, journalists, and civil society organizations working to promote media literacy and counter state-sponsored disinformation campaigns in conflict zones and beyond.