Authors

Katri Pynnöniemi¹; Amelie Tolvin²;  ¹ Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland;  ² Unviersity of Toronto, Canada

Discussion

In the lead-up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin published proceedings online from four events focused on “the situation in the Donbas.” In the events’ transcripts, Vladimir Putin and government officials present Russia as a victim of western aggression, portraying it as having no choice but to defend itself, and as a hero, claiming to be the sole saviour of the long-suffering population of the Donbas. This narrative is coupled with conspiracy theories about biolaboratories located in Ukraine, an omnipresent fifth column within Russia, and above all, with a story where the Western powers reject Russia's good intentions to prevent the war.    

While war rhetoric and strategic narratives have long been used to justify violence and warfare, the Kremlin’s rhetoric about the ‘special military operation’ produces clashing, oftentimes contrasting interpretations of reality. Ultimately, we argue that Russia’s contrasting narratives serve dual purposes in its strategy against Ukraine: they legitimize Russian imperial expansion while simultaneously de-legitimizing Ukrainian resistance. These contrasting narratives also serve to create confusion about Russia’s true intentions, allowing it to take advantage of the fog of war to deflect and divert blame for its actions in Ukraine, which have amounted to war crimes.  

This paper is structured in three parts: first, we trace the history of strategic deception in Russian military thought, discussing its historical roots in national-patriotic interpretations of Russian history. Next, we establish an analytical framework to trace Russia’s strategic deception narratives, using Mikhail Epstein’s model of ideological language as well as current interpretations of reflexive control. Finally, we examine speeches by Vladimir Putin during the onset of the invasion, illustrating how these historical narratives underpin Russia’s expansionist policies in the former Soviet space.