THE MYTH OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR AS A TOOL OF RUSSIA’S PROPAGANDA INFLUENCE IN THE HYBRID WAR AGAINST UKRAINE

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to observe the formation of Russia’s myth of the Great Patriotic War as a tool of Russian propaganda influence and its uses in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The research methodology. The study applies the principles of historicism and objectivity that are essential for revealing historical events in the state policy sphere. The historic and genetic method is employed to determine the sources, development and uses of the myth of the Great Patriotic War as an element of the Russian Federation’s propaganda. The historical and systematic method sustains the analysis of socio-political processes in their interrelation and causal dependence. The scientific novelty of the paper. The research determines the preconditions for the formation of the myth of the Great Patriotic War, its development and subsequent use by the Russian Federation for propaganda purposes in the hybrid war against Ukraine. Conclusions. President Putin’s rise to power in Russia and his goal to assert Russian strength and power in the world, active imperial ambitions, and attempts to maintain control over the post-Soviet space, supported by military actions, necessitated the revival and active use of the myth of the Great Patriotic War. Mythologization of the events of the Second World War became an element of ideological struggle and propaganda activity in Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries. Armed actions against Ukraine were preceded by the formation of the “victorious people” attitude in the Russian society, with the myth of the Great Patriotic War being its integral part. Therefore, the Kremlin has managed not only to distract the population from internal problems, but also achieved massive support for Russiaʼs hostilities on the territories of other countries. By pursuing the policy of “appropriating” victory in the war, the Russian government thereby diminishes the contribution of both the allied states and the former Soviet republics to the defeat of Nazism.