The image of a Ukrainian refugee in Poland in Russian propaganda

Abstract

The large-scale invasion of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine led to the forced migration of the Ukrainian population. According to official data of the European Union as of January 2024, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic are among the countries where the largest number of Ukrainian refugees live. The total number of Ukrainians is 4.3 million. Despite the strong support and protection of Ukrainian citizens, Russian propaganda actively uses the topic of Ukrainian refugees to discredit this social group in these countries. Such an information campaign is aimed not only at reducing the level of empathy for Ukrainians, but also at undermining the support of the Ukrainian state from the Western countries. It also increases the atomization of Ukrainian society and inflames international hostility, as well as forms a critical attitude towards the current government. The analysis of Russian destructive propaganda techniques and its impact on the population will allow us to identify algorithms for creating and disseminating false information to develop a critical attitude towards propaganda texts.
The purpose of the study is related to the formation of the image of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, which was promoted by the Russian mass media during the year (2023-2024). Within the scope of the goal, three tasks were put forward: to investigate Russian narratives about Ukrainian refugees that were created in social networks (July 2023 – August 2024); to highlight the main topics through which the image of the Ukrainian refugee was formed; establish the purpose of creating such narratives. Russian propaganda uses the concept of refugee to publicly redefine its meaning, changing the emphasis in its narratives. In particular, the term "victim of persecution based on racial affiliation" (as specified in the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees) is transformed into an image of a demonized enemy, which aims to create a negative perception of Ukrainian refugees in European countries. This manipulation of terms contributes to the justification of aggressive rhetoric and political actions that may be incompatible with international standards for the protection of refugee rights.