Russian Phobia or a Real Threat? Propaganda-Related Elements of Russian Information Warfare in Ukraine and Their Implications for Euro-Atlantic Security

Abstract

prawosławny. Artykuł zamyka analiza możliwego wpływu tych działań na bezpieczeństwo i stabilność UE i NATO oraz poszczególnych państw członkowskich.

Russia’s Strategic Culture: Prisoner of Imperial History?

“…Finally, there is a need to mention the role of the Orthodox Church as a binder for Russian ideology (Wierzbicki, 2008)� Russian Orthodox Church stands as a defender of traditional values, which is the Kremlin's tool to propagate messianic ideology and glorifying the state� Being deeply nationalist, homophobic and denying Western values, it also supports Russia's narrative based on his-torical memory (Antczak, 2017)� Ideological vacuum in contemporary Russia is filled in by mythologized history on the one hand, but mostly by religion (the Orthodox Church)� Not only does it serve as a spiritual guidance, but also or even mostly, it becomes an ideological background for national authorities (politicization of religion)� The Orthodox Church enhances the renaissance of the "culture of obedience" (Bieleń, 2006), which also determines society's attitude towards authorities and this in turn strengthens the central power� Religious issues are strongly connected with the already mentioned specific messianism, which comes to the specific mission that Russian nation has to fulfill nationally and internationally as "the heir of legendary religious and imperial tradition" (Ermarth, 2009)� This issue served to legitimize expansion and arousing the conviction about cultural and moral superiority based on spreading religious values of the Orthodox Church� Moreover, superpower attempts and all efforts aiming at increasing power are perceived as an obligation for the citizens and a political imperative for state authorities, which is morally and even religiously motivated and supported (Broda, 2015)� Within the Orthodox Church ideology which influences mentality and socio-political awareness of the society, the power status means "nations self-awareness of Russians being responsible for stopping Antichrist and liable for the whole society and the superpower-state" (Lazari, 1995)� The myth of power associated with authority relates to the myth of Russia's strength and exceptionality, which in turn influences social awareness concentrated on the faith in omnipotence of authority (Kowalska, 2013)� Afanasjew (2005 goes even further claiming that "mythical thinking is not only a rule, but also the content of social consciousness"� This phenomenon is also connected with the cult of personalized and sacralized central authority, which is one of the most important elements of socio-political system (Broda, 2015)� In such circumstances, Russian political and strategic culture may tend to be more authoritarian than democratic in nature� Even though Russian political system is democratic in theory, it arose from authoritarian tradition and political culture of Russian society as well as from the necessity to create a strong central authority to introduce systemic changes and prevent the dissolution of the whole state (Zieliński, 2005)� Russian system is called differently by various scholars: "delegative democracy" (Kubicek, 1994), "formal democracy", "plebiscite democracy" (Migranian, 2004), "steered or controlled democracy", "manipulated democracy", "patronage democracy", "illiberal democracy", "half democracy", "electoral democracy" (Lukin, 2001), and "market Bolshevism" (Nunn & Stulberg, 2000)� The way democracy is…”