Kathrine Frich
Propaganda has long been a powerful tool during wartime.
Governments often use messaging to shape public opinion and influence how soldiers and civilians perceive their enemies.
A new report examining Russian prisoners of war suggests such narratives may also affect how soldiers view Ukrainians during the conflict.
Study findings
A study conducted by the Ukrainian NGO LingvaLexa cited by El Economista suggests that many captured Russian soldiers expressed views researchers describe as dehumanizing toward Ukrainians.
The research, titled “Words That Kill: How Russian Propaganda Shapes Mobilization and Combat Motivation,” is based on interviews with 1,060 Russian prisoners of war.
The questionnaires were conducted according to procedures overseen by Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General.
Researchers say the study aims to measure how propaganda may influence soldiers’ attitudes and combat motivation during the war.
Perception of Ukrainians
According to data reported by the Ukrainian outlet Euromaidan Press, nearly 43 percent of surveyed prisoners placed Ukrainians “halfway between Cro-Magnon man and modern man” when asked to evaluate their development on a visual evolutionary scale.
Participants were shown a chart depicting human evolution from early ancestors to modern humans and asked to estimate how developed Ukrainians were compared with other people.
On average, respondents rated Ukrainians as being at 88 percent of the evolutionary stage of other humans.
In total, 42.94 percent of those surveyed described Ukrainians as “less than fully human beings.”
Link to propaganda
The study also identified a statistical relationship between belief in propaganda and dehumanizing attitudes.
Among soldiers who expressed lower trust in propaganda narratives, 36 percent described Ukrainians in dehumanizing terms.
Among those who strongly believed such narratives, the share increased to 54 percent.
Researchers say such attitudes are often considered a psychological precursor to violence and hate crimes.
Profile of respondents
The 1,060 prisoners surveyed had an average age of 39, which researchers say is close to the average age of Russian military personnel.
About 75 percent identified as ethnically Russian.
In terms of religion, 80.61 percent described themselves as Christian, nearly 8 percent as Muslim and just over 4 percent as atheist.
More than 90 percent reported having no higher education, with many having only secondary school or vocational training.
Sources: El Economista.
