The myth of Crimea: Crimean narrative in Russian and Ukrainian media

Abstract

In 2014, Crimea was annexed from Ukraine by the Russian Federation. Two opposing ways in which Crimean Peninsula, Crimean people and Crimean history are depicted in Russian and Ukrainian media constitute two separate narratives. This work explores the concept of narrative and the construction of the narrative through media. Narrative, often used by political forces to construct or reclaim meaning and thus influence the general public, is looked at through the prism of framing theory. Packages within established frames are tested based on their structure and viability. The connection between the narrative and identity, memory and state ideology is being explored, and the comparison of Russian and Ukrainian narratives as two competing mediums is being established.