Mass Communication as a Part of a Military Strategy: The Military Base of the Russian Federation in Occupied Abkhazia and Management of Local Public Attitudes

Abstract

Aim. The aim of this article is to define and analyse the intention and effects of the use of mass communication and media for military purposes. The authors examine the issue on the example of the Russian Federation and the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia. Methods. The method of the research is  a qualitative, discursive analysis of media texts. Results. The study of the content of information platform sputnik-abkhazia.ru, created by the Russian Federation in Abkhazia, allows us to identify the main messages the above-mentioned platform disseminates and tries to enroot in the local community of Abkhazia. In the messages identified during the study an attempt is shown to convince the local audience of the military “invincibility” of the Russian Federation, a clear discredit of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) - and an open attempt to create an icon of the enemy from Georgia and the United States. In this way we see harmful, threatening cooperation of the means of mass media communication against society, carrying out military tasks. Conclusions. A study of the content of Sputnik-Abkhazia shows a clear example of the use of an information platform for military purposes. Given the current situation, we can argue that the informational efforts that the Russian Federation is making in Abkhazia will soon become a problem, not only for Georgia. Such cooperation between military tasks and information platforms serves to sow fear and mistrust in society, which creates fertile ground to rule the public opinion.