The Impact of Russian Anti-Western Conspiracy Theories on the Status-Related Conflict in Ukraine: The Case of Flight MH17

Baltic Journal of European Studies Pub Date : 2019-09-01 DOI:10.1515/bjes-2019-0024

H. Mölder, V. Sazonov

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引用次数: 9

Abstract

Abstract The Russian Federation has a wide arsenal of tools at its disposal for conducting information warfare to achieve its strategic objectives in the ongoing status conflict with the West. The active exploitation of conspiracy theories has thrived since pro-Kremlin forces started armed conflict against Ukraine in 2013–2014. This article focuses on the crash of Flight MH17, widely used by the Russian media to fabricate various conspiracy theories which make out that the West and Ukraine are responsible for the disaster. This study examines several Russian outlets and TV channels and concludes that the Russian media often used falsified stories and emotional rhetoric in narratives they spread about the crash of Flight MH17. The narratives used to create these conspiracy theories claim that the incident was a Western provocation attempting to generate hostility towards Russia. In disseminating these kinds of conspiracy theories, the pro-Kremlin media created distrust against the West and the Ukrainian government among a larger audience and produced discomfort and disorientation about Western and Ukrainian news.

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俄罗斯反西方阴谋论对乌克兰地位相关冲突的影响:以MH17航班为例

摘要俄罗斯联邦拥有广泛的工具库，可用于进行信息战，以在与西方的持续地位冲突中实现其战略目标。自2013-2014年亲克里姆林宫的部队开始与乌克兰发生武装冲突以来，阴谋论的积极利用愈演愈烈。这篇文章聚焦于MH17航班坠毁事件，俄罗斯媒体广泛利用该事件编造各种阴谋论，认为西方和乌克兰应对这场灾难负责。这项研究调查了几家俄罗斯媒体和电视频道，得出结论，俄罗斯媒体在传播MH17航班坠毁的故事时经常使用伪造的故事和情感修辞。用来制造这些阴谋论的说法声称，这起事件是西方试图对俄罗斯产生敌意的挑衅。在传播这些阴谋论的过程中，亲克里姆林宫的媒体在更大的受众中制造了对西方和乌克兰政府的不信任，并对西方和乌新闻产生了不适和困惑。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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Baltic Journal of European Studies POLITICAL SCIENCE-

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期刊介绍： Baltic Journal of European Studies (abbreviation BJES) is a semiannual double blind peer-reviewed international research journal (formerly known as Proceedings of the Institute for European Studies) with an international editorial office and extensive international editorial board, abstracted in EBSCO and other relevant databases.The scope of the journal comprises a wide spectrum of social, political, economic and cultural issues related to recent developments in the European Union and its member states.