Narratives of War: the Image of Ukraine and Russia in the Polish Media Discourse

N. Zhukovska

Abstract


The purpose of the study is to analyze and interpret how the Polish media form and present images of Ukraine and Russia in the context of war.

Research methodology. The study is based on the analysis of the content of leading Polish media, such as Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita, Polsat News and TVP. Discourse analysis methods were used, including the identification of key themes, language constructions and value judgments used to describe Ukraine and Russia.

Results. The article demonstrates the main features of the formation of images of Ukraine and Russia, as well as the key narratives that dominated the coverage of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Polish media discourse forms a clearly positive image of Ukraine as a victim of unjust aggression and at the same time a hero of the struggle for freedom. The image of Russia is consistently negative, associated with threat, violence and barbarism.

The novelty of the study focuses on the most recent events related to the war in Ukraine, which allows us to identify changes in the Polish media space after 2022. This includes updated narratives that are shaped by current geopolitical processes. The study compares the images of Ukraine and Russia in the Polish media, which allows us to identify the specifics of the presentation of each state, their actions and motivations.

The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the results of the study to develop communication strategies for Ukraine in Poland, as well as to understand the international media discourse on the conflict.

Key words: discourse, media discourse, social communications, globalization, information, Russian aggression, war, conflict.


References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.32840/cpu2219-8741/2025.2(62).6

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