Russia's invasion of Ukraine is one of the most important conflicts of the twenty-first century. With the start of military hostilities in 2014 also came an onslaught of propaganda, to both convince and confuse audiences worldwide about the war's historical and ideological underpinnings. Based on extensive research drawing on tens of thousands of news articles and hundreds of pages of legal documents and internal correspondence, this book offers the first comprehensive analysis of the role of propaganda, ideology, and identity in the Russian-Ukrainian war. It argues that, despite Russia's efforts to set up a media machine at home and abroad with eight years of propaganda legitimising Russia's presence in eastern Ukraine, Russia failed to vocalise a convincing alternative to Ukrainian nationhood. Instead, Russian propaganda backfired: Ukraine is now more united than ever before.

‘Roozenbeek’s book is a valuable contribution to comprehending Russia’s war against Ukraine. Its uniqueness lies in its focus on the role that the people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk played in the Russian propaganda. These regimes are falsely portrayed by Moscow as regions breaking free from Ukraine in 2014 due to popular will. Roozenbeek skilfully dismantles this and other myths through a thorough analysis of news articles and policy documents, and also shows how this propaganda failed to convince most Russian-speaking Ukrainians. A remarkable accomplishment!’

Egbert Fortuin - University of Leiden

‘As Roozenbeek’s innovative analysis clearly shows, Moscow and separatist leaders were never able to articulate the identity of the Donbas as distinct from Ukraine following the occupation in 2014. The Russian invasion only helped to strengthen Ukraine’s political unity. Highly recommended for anyone interested in today’s turbulent world.’

Hiroaki Kuromiya - Indiana University

‘Meticulously researched, this book illuminates the dark arts of propaganda and ideology in Russia’s war on Ukraine.’

Jade McGlynn - King’s College London

‘… invaluable for experts following the conflict … Recommended. ’

P. Rutland Source: Choice

‘Roozenbeek’s work is outstanding in its methodological rigour, argumentative clarity and interdisciplinarity, combining media studies, political science and cognitive psychology. By integrating quantitative and qualitative analysis, he provides a comprehensive picture of propaganda in the Russo-Ukrainian war, mapping in detail structure, themes and channels of propaganda dissemination. … an essential contribution to understanding how strategic communication reshapes modern conflict and global relations. It is relevant and valuable to a wide readership of political scientists, media experts and international relations practitioners. This research can guide the actions necessary to create an informed and resilient public capable of resisting such informational harm.’

Edith Manalachioaei Source: Europe-Asia Studies

‘Roozenbeek’s approach paves the way for propaganda and ideology research. The author’s combination of topic modeling and close reading can be productively adapted for other cases beyond Ukraine. [This book] will be of interest to a broad range of readers, from those who want to learn more about ideology and (forced) identity-building in the post-socialist space to scholars of authoritarian propaganda and disinformation or journalism specialists interested in how Russian military aggression has affected journalism in the occupied territories.’

Mykola Makhortykh Source: The Russian Review