Framing the War in Ukraine, or the Nazi Revival

Abstract This paper examines the rhetorical strategies used by the United States and the Russian Federation to frame the war in Ukraine, focusing on how both sides invoke historical narratives, particularly references to Nazism and World War II, to legitimise their positions. Through a comparative discourse analysis of speeches by Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, this study highlights how the ideological divide of the Cold War era has evolved into a conflict shaped by competing narratives. While Biden’s rhetoric draws analogies between Putin’s actions and historical authoritarian aggression, Putin constructs a historical continuity in which Ukraine is portrayed as harbouring Nazi elements that threaten Russia. The study analyses the use of key lexemes such as “Nazi” and “Hitler” in political discourse, revealing how these terms are deployed to delegitimise the enemy and shape public perception. By contextualising these narratives within the broader geopolitical shift from a bipolar to a multipolar world, this research sheds light on the evolving nature of international conflicts, where wars of words play an increasingly central role in shaping global power dynamics.