Ukraine Crisis: Russian-Ukrainian War through the vision of BBC News correspondents

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of the study is to clarify the peculiarities of the presentation of modern Russian aggression against Ukraine by correspondents of the British news service “BBC News”.

The methodological basis of the work is an interdisciplinary approach. Such methods as structural and functional system analysis of historiographical facts and the method of critical analysis of documentary material have been particularly important in research implementation.

Scientific novelty: for the first time, the article analyses the reception of the Russian-Ukrainian war in the writings of BBC News journalists.

Result. We have concluded that most publications presented a description of the immediate events of the military confrontation, which is consistent with the news focus of the information resource itself. BBC News journalists have provided a detailed report on war crimes committed by Russian troops and Putin-backed separatists. This thematic block also dedicates a lot of the articles to the downing of the MH17 passenger plane in the summer of 2014. The previous story is directly related to the problem of the human price of Putin’s adventure, so BBC News periodically cited UN data on the steady increase of casualties in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Because of such devastating losses for Ukraine’s human potential, the journalists covered in detail the attempts to settle the Russian-Ukrainian war peacefully, focusing on the Minsk process. Another notable topic for BBC News is the Kremlin prisoners. Journalists have repeatedly raised the issue of the economic component of Putin’s aggression. They cited numerous indications that the Russian leadership had tried to destroy the eastern neighbour’s economy by gas blackmail, blocking Ukrainian ports, and stealing or destroying the industrial infrastructure of the occupied territories. The comprehensive attention of British journalists to the latest Ukrainian tragedy is also reflected by the attempt to recreate the daily life of the military conflict, first of all, the lives of ordinary people in the occupied territories.

We have concluded that the study showed that BBC News journalists paid a lot of attention to the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Their objective approach to covering Russian aggression has influenced the formation of pro-Ukrainian public opinion in Britain, which has also helped neutralize Putin’s efforts in the country’s information field. As a result, Ukraine is continually supported by official London, despite changes in political government in both countries. This is an important factor in curbing the expansionist appetites of the current Russian leadership.