Discrediting Clichés in Russian Media Discourse: Historical Continuity and Contemporary Practices

Abstract

The article analyses the media-based instruments of manipulation employed by the Russian Federation as a systemic tool of informational aggression against Ukraine. Particular attention is paid to discrediting clichés — stable linguistic constructions widespread in Russian media discourse and aimed at the dehumanisation of Ukrainians. The author demonstrates that hate speech performs not only a nominative but also an ideological function: it legitimises violence, justifies war crimes, and reinforces an imperial worldview. The objective of the study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of discrediting clichés in Russian media. Such political templates constitute a key mechanism of shaming, designed to sustain imperial discourse and to influence public opinion. The research confirms the continuity of ideological narratives, as clichés used as instruments of shaming in Russian media are not a situational phenomenon. Hate speech has deep historical roots and continues the traditions of Soviet propaganda, adapted to the conditions of the contemporary information environment. The proposed analysis is important for understanding the functioning of the Russian imperial media discourse and its influence on public consciousness. The scholarly publication not only presents evidence of the use of hate speech but also, through numerous examples, demonstrates how it has transformed into a modern tool of shaping public consciousness. The study confirms the need for effective means of counteracting Russian imperial information influence, in particular the development of an information strategy for Ukraine that would include the activities of specialised analytical centres, increased media literacy among citizens, and the intensification of international cooperation in the field of information security. The significance of the research lies in its focus on a comprehensive analysis of Russian Federation media narratives and the need to strengthen resistance to information aggression. The obtained results may be used in further studies of Russian information aggression and in exposing hostile propaganda and disinformation.