Media and Manipulation: Propaganda Narratives and the Justification of Russia's War in Ukraine through Information Landscape

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

This panel examines the multifaceted dimensions of Russian propaganda surrounding Russia's aggression against Ukraine, offering complementary analyses of how strategic narratives about Ukraine and/or Ukrainians have been crafted and deployed across various information landscapes. The presentations explore how the Kremlin has weaponized collective memory of the Great Patriotic War to frame the current conflict on state television after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022; trace the evolution of visual propaganda about Ukrainians on government-owned TV channels between 2010 and 2022; investigate Ukraine's portrayal in Russian fiction publishing over two decades; and analyze gendered propaganda strategies targeting female audiences through YouTube shows like "Z-Girlfriends." Together, these investigations reveal the comprehensive nature of Russia's information warfare, demonstrating how historical memory, visual media, literature, and gendered narratives have been systematically manipulated to justify aggression, dehumanize Ukrainians, and manufacture domestic consent.

Sub Unit

• Anthropology, Cultural Studies

Chair

• Anton Shirikov, U of Kansas

Papers

• Fatherland Defenders: The Kremlin's Use of Great Patriotic War Memory in Russia's Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine as Seen on Russian State Television - Ekaterina Gonchar, U of Toronto (Canada)

• Ukrainians—Brothers, Enemies, or Russians? Strategic Narratives and Visual Propaganda Techniques on Russian News and Political Talk Shows in 2010, 2013, and 2021 - Arina Kosareva, U of Oslo / PRIO (Norway)

• Fictional Frontiers: Russian Literary Constructions of Ukraine, 2000-2021 - Alla Roylance, New York U

Discussant

• Anton Shirikov, U of Kansas