Russian Propaganda as a Means of Forming the Image of the External Enemy (on the Example of the Analysis of Electronic Resources of Nine Agencies of the World)

The purpose of the study is to analyze and generalize the specific aspects of the functioning of Russian propaganda as a tool for forming the image of the external enemy. Methods and techniques involved in our study: Web monitoring to collect and analyze publications on websites in the field of scientific and technical expertise and information. Content analysis allowed us to carry out a systematic analysis of texts, videos, photos and other materials to identify the main themes, messages, tone, words and images used. Thanks to the content analysis, we determined which messages and images are used to create the image of the external enemy, and how often they are found in propaganda materials. The research methodology involved the random selection of forty-five publications on the websites of nine international agencies of the world (five publications from each of the nine) and their further analysis to establish specific aspects of the functioning of Russian propaganda as a tool for forming the image of the external enemy. Agence France Press (France), Reuters agency (Great Britain), BBC (Great Britain), Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA; Germany), and Xinhua (China) were selected among the international agencies. , «Anadolu Agency» (Turkey), «Press Trust of India «(India), «Kyodo News» (Japan), «Agência Brasil» (Brazil). The study's results proved that Russian propaganda during the analyzed period used typical standard and hybrid methods and technologies of formation. Conclusions. Analysis of the content of electronic resources indicates that Russian propaganda effectively uses international media to create an image of the external enemy. Such influence can have serious consequences for international relations and therefore requires attention and a critical approach to information from these sources. Keywords: Russian propaganda, electronic resources, international information agencies, image of the external enemy.