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Not quite “the same enemies and the same friends”: exploring puppet-overlord enemy-crafting in the Donbass and Russia

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  • Rodrigo Melgar
  • José Antonio Saravia

Abstract

While a significant literature on puppet states exists, the subject of their enemy crafting and its relationship with that of their overlord is a topic scarcely touched upon in academia. To better understand this, we turn to the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. By mapping constructed enemy mentions during the war in Ukraine we compare their output with that of Russia to see whether they are susceptible to the same trends. Moreover, we sought to discern whether near or far enemies narratives prevail in Russian political discourse. Our findings point towards a discursive alignment throughout time on the part of Donetsk, but not in the case of Luhansk. Moreover, we found a propaganda machine overwhelmingly geared towards near enemy construct in the Donbass republics, whereas that of Russia would be significantly more balanced. Our article covers the period from the 24th of February 2022 to the 5th of October, when the Republics were incorporated to the Russian state.

Suggested Citation

  • Rodrigo Melgar & José Antonio Saravia, 2025. "Not quite “the same enemies and the same friends”: exploring puppet-overlord enemy-crafting in the Donbass and Russia," Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2), pages 515-531, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:cdebxx:v:33:y:2025:i:2:p:515-531
    DOI: 10.1080/25739638.2025.2509251
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