Russia’s Case for War against Ukraine: Legal Claims, Political Rhetoric, and Instrumentality in a Fracturing International Order
Journal: Problems of Post-Communism
Year: 2023

In seeking to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has presented a wide variety of legal, quasi-legal, and normative claims, alongside political rhetoric and transparent revanchism. Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of Russian speeches and texts concerning the war, this article deconstructs Russia’s legal and political arguments and analyzes their rhetorical character as well as their intended audiences. It also assesses the instrumentality of Putin’s irredentist claims