Italesættelsen af en annektering: Rusland og Krim

This study is about Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea as covered by the Russian First channel (Pervyi kanal), the country’s leading television channel. It is found that developments in Ukraine between 22 February and 21 March 2014 were presented in such a way as to lead viewers to one conclusion only: namely, that the fall of the then Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich had brought Ukraine to the brink of political unrest and the population of Crimea could only be saved by incorporation of the peninsula into Russia. While this allowed Russian president Vladimir Putin to be portrayed as saviour and unifier, the strong dichotomy of the terms “us” and “them” and “right” and “wrong” in the news coverage may later make it more difficult for him to compromise on the conflict in Ukraine.