Justifying War: Putin’s Legitimation Strategies for the Invasion of Ukraine
Journal: Journal of International Eastern European Studies
Year: 2025

This article examines the discursive strategies used by Vladimir Putin to justify Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, situating his rhetoric within the broader context of legitimation practices in hybrid regimes. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis and the frameworks developed by Reyes (2011), Van Leeuwen (2007, 2008), Wodak (2009), and Mazepus et al. (2016), the study systematically analyzes major speeches, policy statements, and official narratives produced by the Kremlin between