Legitimizing the war: how Russian governors write about the war in Ukraine in their Telegram channels

Abstract

The study focuses on Russian governors and their role in legitimation the authoritarian regime. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, new spheres of responsibility were shifted to the regional level, which in the context of a rigidly centralised system of vertical power and insufficient regional autonomy in decision-making became a challenge for Russian governors. In addition to administrative duties, they are forced to create a positive image of the “special military operation”, convincing citizens of its necessity and building public consensus on the issue. Using Thematic analysis and having considered the communication strategies of governors, this paper seeks to answer the research question how governors justify the war in Ukraine in their Telegram channels and how uniform their communication strategies are? Based on the concept of legitimation of non-democratic regimes (Dukalskis & Gerschewski, 2017; Gerschewski, 2018; Kneuer, 2017; Maerz, 2020), conclusions are drawn about the rhetorical constructions used by the governors to legitimise military actions in Ukraine. The Thematic analysis showed the four most significant themes in the governors' posts. The first theme describes the causes of war and is structurally divided into three sub-themes. The war is justified through the liberation of Donbas, the fight against Nazism and the defence of brotherly nations. The second theme is devoted to the dehumanisation of the Ukrainian army, which resulted in three sub-themes where the image of the enemy is presented as Ukronazis, militants or terrorists, and neo-Nazis. The third theme that is actively used in the governors' posts is the comparison of the war with Ukraine with the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The fourth recurring theme is the idea of unity. Unification should occur through the idea of victory, which can only be achieved by uniting and helping mobilized. The main vectors of governors' communication strategies with the citizens are built in terms of informing them about the ongoing shelling and the victims; convincing the citizens of the need of the war and the policy pursued by the state; collecting information on the provision of assistance and providing feedback. It is also important to note that the governors' target is not only citizens, but also the federal government. By their posts they not only form loyalty to the state among the residents, but also show to the federal authorities their loyalty and devotion to the regime. The analysis showed that, the war is justified by constructing external enemies and dehumanising them; by linking to historical patterns; appealing to the affective level, trying to create a sense of unity and cohesion; calling for patriotic values. Governors are copying official federal military rhetoric, and form a loyal attitude towards the military operation and the state policy on this issue.