The Russian Federation’s “Fake News” Intentions in the War Against Ukraine

Abstract

The RF’s conventional military operations against Ukraine are accompanied by a “fake news” powerful information influence on three objects, specifically “We” – Russia, “They” – Ukraine, and “The third party” – the West and other countries. In the RF’s war in Ukraine, “fake news” reflects the strategic orientation of the Kremlin to manipulate the information space. The study aims to find out the dynamics and prevailing topics of the RF’s “fake news” and to decode its intentions in the war time. The findings help conclude that 1) the dynamics of the number and topics of “fake news” in the Russian information campaign during military operations in Ukraine shows changes in Russia’s priorities and tactics during the war; 2) topics of “fake news” that prevailed during the various stages of the war in Ukraine reflect the constant and changing aspects of the RF’s information campaign; 3) the intentions coded in the “fake news” reveal the strategic and tactical objectives of the Russian information campaign and military operations in the context of the war in Ukraine. Analysis of the RF’s “fake news” intentions discloses a general strategy aimed at delegitimising the Ukrainian government, justifying Russia’s aggressive actions and splitting the anti-Russian coalition.