Att rättfärdiga invasionen : Ryska strategiska narrativ om Ukraina och NATO

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines how Russian narratives regarding the war in Ukraine changed after the full-scale invasion in 2022. In modern conflicts, wars are not only fought through military force but also through information, media influence and competing interpretations of events. Understanding how narratives are constructed and adapted is therefore important for understanding contemporary warfare and strategic communication. The study applies the theory of Strategic Narratives and uses a qualitative text analysis of articles published by RT, Sputnik and TASS. Material from 2019 is compared with material from 2022-2024 to identify continuity and change over time. The results show that several central narratives existed before the invasion. NATO was portrayed as an aggressive and expansionist actor, Ukraine as weak and dependent on the West and Russia as a defensive actor reacting to external threats. After the invasion these same narratives became stronger, more direct and more focused on legitimizing military action. NATO was increasingly described as conducting a proxy war against Russia through Ukraine, while Russia was presented as protecting its security interests and resisting Western dominance.The study concludes that the invasion did not create entirely new narratives but rather intensified and adapted preexisting ones to justify war and mobilize support. This demonstrates how long-term information strategies can