We are pleased to announce a new publication by researchers from the Laboratory of Media Studies UW and by prof. Łukasz Szurmiński in the quarterly journal Zeszyty Prasoznawcze (Media Research Issues), published by Jagiellonian University Press.

The paper analyses the rhetorical strategies employed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 22 speeches delivered in March 2022, at the onset of the Russian invasion.

Zelenskyy presents Russia as the aggressor and Ukraine as a defender of democratic values. Using textual coding in QDA Miner, the study examines the balance between the “politics of hope” and the “politics of fear”. 

The analysis also highlights a dichotomy between the global democratic community and Russia. The speeches combine traditional and modern elements of war propaganda to mobilise international solidarity and support for Ukraine.

Publication data

Brylska, K., Gackowski, T., Szurmiński, Ł. (2026). The New Old World Order Through The Eyes Of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zeszyty Prasoznawcze, vol. Early View, no. Tom 69, Numer 2 (266), s. 223–240, Kraków. doi: https://doi.org/10.4467/22996362PZ.26.025.2346

We invite you to explore the publications and learn more about the ongoing research conducted at the Laboratory of Media Studies, University of Warsaw.