السردية الروسية في حرب أوكرانيا

Russia has succeeded in its war against Ukraine in a striking media manner. It has achieved breakthroughs and successes against Western media by presenting an alternative narrative about the war, which has raised concerns among Western governments. It has convinced some audiences in the West (especially the far-right or NATO opponents) to adopt parts of the Russian narrative, such as: “Ukraine is a corrupt state.”

“NATO's expansion is what drove Russia to war.” “Ukraine is an artificial entity” (historical-identity discourse). “The West is supplying Ukraine with weapons to prolong the war.”

The Russian narrative in the Ukraine war is based on a set of ideological, political, and security pillars aimed at justifying military operations and shaping public opinion both domestically and internationally.

The Russian narrative is built on a mix of historical fear (of NATO), Russian nationalism (the idea of the Russian world), and theories of Western schemes based on expansion, dominance, and control over the destinies of peoples.

Clarifying the concept of narrative and distinguishing it from propaganda helps in gaining a clearer understanding of this tool and highlights the importance of this weapon.

The media narrative: is the way information or events are presented in the media through a story or narrative that contains elements such as context, characters, and chronological sequence. It aims to make the content more understandable and more appealing to the audience. An example of this is a news report about a refugee crisis that focuses on individual stories to explain the humanitarian dimensions. Another example is climate change, presenting scientific information alongside stories of victims of natural disasters.

The narrative aims to tell a story, convey an experience, or explain an idea in an attractive and convincing way, whether for entertainment, educational, or explanatory purposes, and is characterized by balance in opinions, open sources, and the absence of excessive emotional language.

Propaganda is the transmission of information or ideas designed to influence public opinion or manipulate it to serve a political/economic/social agenda, and it is often one-sided, distorting or oversimplifying facts to serve a specific goal. It may use deception, emotions, exclusion, or excessive repetition.

As for the tools and methods of each: the narrative relies on story elements (characters, conflict, plot...) and may use suspense or creative art. On the other hand, propaganda employs psychological techniques such as repetition (repeating simple slogans), exploiting emotions (fear, hatred, pride), polarization (us vs. them), and symbols (flags, colors, slogans).

Regarding the context and usage of each:

The narrative is used in literature, cinema, education, media, and even in business (like storytelling in marketing). Meanwhile, propaganda is used in misleading commercial advertisements, wars, political campaigns, and ideological conflicts.

The narrative is a means of recounting events or ideas (which can be neutral or creative). In contrast, propaganda is a means of influencing and controlling the audience (often misleading or one-sided), yet the two may sometimes overlap.

The Russian narrative has impacted Western media, but the West has responded with a counter-campaign to silence it by banning official channels and questioning the validity of the Russian narrative. Nevertheless, the Russian narrative remains present in electronic spaces and among certain audiences, making it a continuous element in the media war.

From this experience and others, it is clear that it is important for Arab media discourse to have a narrative that can reach Arab, Western, African, Latin, Chinese, and all peoples of the world.