KRAKOWSKIE STUDIA MIĘDZYNARODOWE
KRAKOW INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
XX: 2023 nr 1 | e-ISSN 2451-0610 | ISSN 1733-2680
https://doi.org/10.48269/2451-0610-ksm-2023-1-007
Marcin Styszyński
PhD, Assistant Professor, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9500-7699
Arab context of the Ukraine conflict in Russia Today Arabic and Sputnik
Abstract
The present article is concerned with the Russian narrative of the Ukraine war in Arabic versions of Sputnik and Russia Today Arabic (RT Arabic). The tragic war in Ukraine has affected different media sources in the world, including Russian and pro-Russian media. However, Sputnik and RT Arabic’s media reports combine the Ukraine conflict with Arabic context addressed to different audiences in the Arab world.
This study also argues that the Russian narrative relies on propaganda devices such as ad hominem, card stacking and agenda setting, as well as testimonial and glittering generalities. These techniques affect the audience and enable to express Kremlin’s political objectives on the Ukraine war and foreign policy. Moreover, the research demonstrates that the media coverage released by RT Arabic and Sputnik aims at creation of two opposite images, which blame the West and endorse Russian policy.
Key words: Ukraine war, Russian media, propaganda, the audience, the Middle East