1887
image of Legitimation of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian TV news programme Vremya

Abstract

This study investigates legitimation efforts in Russian state-affiliated televisual media discourse seeking sanction for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Television is investigated since it has not only been under-researched in Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) in general, but also because it remains the most consumed medium in Russia. One programme is selected for analysis: (‘Time’) broadcast on Russia’s biggest state-controlled channel, Channel One. The analysis seeks to gain insight into Russia’s newly emerged rhetoric on Ukraine post-full-scale invasion. It finds several legitimation strategies used by the programme to justify the invasion, including authority, reasoning, past/future imaginaries, morality, altruism, and blaming and defaming.

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2026-03-16
2026-04-21
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: invasion of Ukraine ; critical discourse studies ; legitimation ; television ; Russian media
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