Authors

Discussion

This paper discusses master myths in the public narratives used to legitimize the Putin regime. It argues that the master myth portraying “eternal great-power Russia, the Sacred Empire” and “the ever-present, hostile encirclement of Russia by the malevolent West” has largely gained strength throughout the course of the escalated Russo-Ukraine war. According to this myth, a morally unassailable Russia is perpetually subjected to the malevolent scheming of the so-called Collective West.

Using official material from the Kremlin’s public website (kremlin.ru), the paper seeks to trace whether any adaptations of this master myth have occurred following the ascension of the second Trump administration in the United States, with its accompanying twists and turns in relation to the Russo–Ukraine war and the generally sympathetic Trumpian stance toward Russia and the Putin regime. How has the foundational premise concerning the Collective West fared in light of this development? How is the partial U.S. reorientation explained and accounted for within the framework of the master myth? And how is the master myth adapted to accommodate this new reality?