Three Anniversaries of the Crimean Reunification with Russia: Analyzing Legitimization Strategies in Russian Media Justifying the Intervention in Crimea

This thesis examines the strategies that the Russian regime uses to legitimize the Crimean intervention in 2014. It will do so by analyzing news articles from RT and Komsomolskaya Pravda that are concerned with the first, second, and third anniversary celebrations of the Crimean reunification with Russia. Furthermore, the Russia-1 documentary Crimea: The Way Home will be assessed, which was broadcast one year after the intervention in Crimea. Using Von Soest and Grauvogel’s literature on legitimization strategies in post-Soviet authoritarian states, it can be concluded that the Russian regime employs several strategies in order to justify its actions regarding the intervention in Crimea. The main strategies are concerned with President Putin being framed as a charismatic leader of the Russian state, the claim that the Russian regime acted according to procedural mechanisms, and the foundational myth that Russia and Crimea share. Employing these and other claims to legitimacy, the...Show moreThis thesis examines the strategies that the Russian regime uses to legitimize the Crimean intervention in 2014. It will do so by analyzing news articles from RT and Komsomolskaya Pravda that are concerned with the first, second, and third anniversary celebrations of the Crimean reunification with Russia. Furthermore, the Russia-1 documentary Crimea: The Way Home will be assessed, which was broadcast one year after the intervention in Crimea. Using Von Soest and Grauvogel’s literature on legitimization strategies in post-Soviet authoritarian states, it can be concluded that the Russian regime employs several strategies in order to justify its actions regarding the intervention in Crimea. The main strategies are concerned with President Putin being framed as a charismatic leader of the Russian state, the claim that the Russian regime acted according to procedural mechanisms, and the foundational myth that Russia and Crimea share. Employing these and other claims to legitimacy, the Russian regime aims at justifying its actions and mobilizing public support, not only from the Russian population, but also on an international level.Show less

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Three Anniversaries of the Crimean Reunification with Russia: Analyzing Legitimization Strategies in Russian Media Justifying the Intervention in Crimea