Casus belli : A thematic analysis of the role of the discourse of the Russian government in their legitimisation of the war in Ukraine.

The main aim of this thesis is to explore ways in which the discourse of the Russian government legitimises its war in Ukraine. The following Research Question is put forward: What role does the discourse of the Russian government play in their legitimisation of the war in Ukraine? It is done within context of the last four years (2021-2024) with the focus on Vladimir Putin as the embodiment of what the Russian government is. The thesis is placed within the context of postcolonial theory, with focus on the post-Soviet world and application of this theory within it. I have chosen thematic analysis as the method of analysis for this thesis. Doing so allows for extraction of four main themes around which the legitimisation of war revolves. The four main themes being: Ukraine and Russia are brotherly nations; Ukraine is ruled by an illegitimate government; Ukraine is an artificial nation within the ‘historic lands’ of Russia; Ukraine under neo-Nazi leadership is seeking to destroy Russia. Additionally two smaller themes were discovered which further augment the discourse coming from the Russian government. The findings of analysis indicate versatility and contradictions of discourse coming from the Russian government based on differences between found themes, but also its preference for negative approach to legitimisation. Here referring to underlining negative traits or presenting a pejorative image of Ukraine.