Framing the Russo-Ukrainian war: Western media representations in year two of the full-scale invasion

Abstract

This study explores discourses about the Russo-Ukrainian war as presented in American and British opinion articles featured in the Ukrainian press between March and October 2023. This period was marked by intense debate in Western media concerning Ukraine’s counter-offensive which commenced in early June 2023. Using critical discourse analysis, the research deconstructs the discourses, examining their key elements such as representations defining the nature of the war and its opposing sides, as well as representations of specific aspects of the war that are framed contentiously across the research corpus. These aspects include Ukraine’s deep strikes into Russia, the war’s costs for Russia, territorial de-occupation, and potential pathways to peace. The analysis reveals three distinct discourses: the first portrays the war as an attack on the international order, an imperialist war, and a genocidal war; the second frames it as an unwinnable territorial conflict; and the third defines it as Putin’s war against the West. These discourses resonate with previous findings from before the full-scale invasion in February 2022, while also showing a certain evolution in their framing.