Securitisation by Proxy : Russian Climate-Related Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference in English-Language News

Sammanfattning

The thesis makes an empirical and theoretical contribution to the body of research on Russian Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) in the EU, focusing on narratives connected to climate change and environmental regulation. Empirically, it offers new insights into how these issues are leveraged to further Russia’s geopolitical goals by analysing how the FIMI content is narratively and discursively constructed. Theoretically, the thesis builds on and extends the application of reflexive control and securitisation theory by proposing the proxy securitisation model, a process by which a foreign actor exploits the information environment of a target state to construct an existential threat, shaping public opinion and generating political pressure to its own strategic benefit. The findings add to the understanding of the phenomenon, while also increasing the capacity for an effective response.