Russian information war against Ukraine 2014-2024 as a subject of scientific studies: the concept of “information violence”

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the need to analyze the state of understanding of the phenomenon of information violence by domestic scholars in the context of studying the Russian information war against Ukraine in 2014-2024. Since the beginning of a full-scale war against our country in 2022, the world has seen how the production and dissemination of disinformation narratives can prepare the information base for the destruction of a country and the genocide of its inhabitants. This calls for attention to the methodological aspects of studying information violence as a component of the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation. The purpose of the study is to determine the state of scientific study of the phenomenon of information violence and the specifics of applying the relevant concept as a methodological tool in the context of studying the Russian information war against Ukraine in 2014-2024. The research methodology, in addition to general scientific methods (logical, induction, deduction, analysis, synthesis), included special methods: narrative, structural and functional analysis, generalization, and case method, which contributed to the understanding of theoretical and practical approaches to studying the phenomenon of information violence and the specifics of the application of the relevant concept. Conclusions and Prospects. The phenomenon of information violence in the framework of the study of the Russian information war against Ukraine in 2014-2024 is comprehended by domestic scholars in theoretical and practical aspects using the relevant concept. In the theoretical aspect, this phenomenon is defined as a targeted non-forceful influence on the mental sphere associated with information manipulation, which violates the information freedom of the target and may cause harm to its life or health. In the analysis of the practical aspects of information violence, it includes disinformation, hostile propaganda, and manipulation of the consciousness of the masses, which are essentially considered as types of information violence. At the same time, in cases where authors do not use the concept of «information violence,» these phenomena usually correspond to the characteristics of information violence. This necessitates a wider application of the concept of «information violence» as a methodological tool for studying the Russian-Ukrainian information confrontation. A detailed examination of its cases in order to identify the relevant information and violent component and to study the impact of the mass communication component of information violence in the context of studying Russian information invasion of the Ukrainian information space has considerable research potential in this context.