Rhetorical Strategies and Nationalism: Analyzing Putin's Language in Justifying Aggression against Ukraine through Machine Learning

• In Event: Ukraine’s Political Economy & Wartime Politics

Abstract

This study examines how President Vladimir Putin strategically employs nationalist rhetoric to justify aggression against Ukraine and reinforce perceptions of great power competition. Focusing on key moments such as the annexation of Crimea and the 2022 invasion, it analyzes how Russian elites construct narratives that frame military actions as legitimate. Using ruBERT, a transformer-based language model fine-tuned for Russian, this research systematically evaluates Kremlin speeches and official communications to identify recurring rhetorical patterns.

Author

• Jadie Minhas, Arizona State U