Preparing for War: Strategic Narratives and Disinformation in Leadership Rhetoric during the Ukraine War

Abstract

During the preparation for the Ukraine war and especially after the Ukraine invasion, Russia and the West were involved in a rhetorical battle aiming to establish their strategic narratives and influence the public's perception. Strategic Narratives were used to deconstruct the image of Putin and Russia or to rally the public around Western ideology to make it immune to Russian propaganda. Disinformation was another tool used to disorient the public's decision-making process and perceptions. Leadership rhetoric concerning the misrepresentation of historical events like the questioning of the history of Ukraine by President Putin developed a strategic narrative for legitimizing purposes. The paper examines the strategic narratives and the formation of disinformation narratives used in the speeches of the protagonists of the Ukraine war.