Narratives and Counter-Narratives in Psychological Warfare between Russia and the West

States have long employed narratives as a strategic instrument in psychological warfare, shaping public perception and influencing political reality. Narratives help to meaningfully organize information, forging collective identity and orienting societies toward visions of the future. Counter-narratives, in turn, serve as responses to dominant discourses, offering alternative interpretations of events and actions. The conflicting discursive space between Russia and the West represents a vivid illustration of this dynamic. Aim and tasks. This article aims to examine the conflicting discursive space between Russia and the West through the lens of key narratives and counter-narratives starting from the year 2022, and to systematize the narrative practices of both sides to better understand the nature of contemporary psychological warfare. Methods. The study draws on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative component consists of discourse analysis focused on identifying marker words and conceptual metaphors in political speeches and social media posts. The quantitative component is based on a multi-stage analysis of “VKontakte” posts collected using a Python-based parser. The source base includes works by Russian and foreign researchers, as well as openly available publications from Western institutions specializing in psychological warfare and narrative conflict. Results. The study identifies and structures the core conceptual metaphors of each side: the Russian narrative is built around multipolarity as a legitimate and necessary alternative to a hegemonic world order, while the Western narrative frames Russia as an aggressor and a threat to international stability. Empirical analysis of VK data confirmed the dominance in the Russian information space of narratives related to the special military operation, as well as anti-colonial and multipolar discourses. Conclusions. Narratives and counter-narratives constitute a central instrument of psychological warfare: they not only legitimize the political actions of states but also produce durable discursive structures that shape how events are perceived by broad audiences. The rapid development of digital technologies and the emergence of a subject-to-subject communicative environment significantly complicate narrative construction and dissemination, making systematic monitoring and analysis an essential prerequisite for developing effective communication strategies.

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