A media ecology of Russian intellectuals in wartime

Abstract This paper explores the rhetorical strategies and performative roles of Russian pro-war intellectuals during three critical moments in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine: the February 2022 invasion, the September 2022 partial mobilization, and the June 2023 Wagner mutiny. Focusing on Alexander Dugin and Yegor Kholmogorov, the study examines how these figures used Telegram , a media platform playing an important role in Russian public discourse, as a space for ideological labor, intellectual self-presentation, and audience engagement. Drawing from over 20,000 posts across both figures’ channels, the analysis tracks shifts in tone, thematic emphasis, philosophical reference, and calls to action, revealing divergent modes of wartime intellectual performance. Dugin projects metaphysical gravitas and symbolic permanence, treating Telegram as a stage for spiritualized abstraction, while Kholmogorov adopts a polemical, moralizing tone aimed at disciplining public sentiment and amplifying state narratives. Through computational text analysis and close reading, the paper argues that Telegram functions not simply as a communications tool but as a dynamic media ecology in which intellectuals recalibrate authority in real time. Rather than offering coherent ideological frameworks, both thinkers engage in rituals of alignment, signaling loyalty, stability, or moral urgency in response to evolving crises. The study contributes to research on Russian nationalist discourse, intellectual performance in authoritarian regimes, and the role of digital media in shaping political meaning. By foregrounding Telegram as an intellectual habitat, it offers a new lens for understanding how conservative thinkers navigate visibility, legitimacy, and crisis in contemporary Russia.