Two Years of Russian Invasion in News Outlets: Actors and the Dominant Narratives

This study examines the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has emerged as one of the most consequential geopolitical crises of the 21st century. Since its inception in February 2022, the war has inflicted severe humanitarian costs, including significant loss of life and mass displacement. Amidst the ongoing conflict, propaganda, and narrative shaping by both Russia and Ukraine have played a critical role in influencing public perception, both domestically and internationally. The article underscores the importance of understanding these narratives, particularly in the context of non-Western countries, such as Indonesia, responding to international conflicts. This study highlights how pro-Russian propaganda has spread through social media platforms like YouTube, as well as reputable news outlets, emphasizing the necessity of diverse perspectives. The study examines how Indonesia’s media landscape has responded to the conflict through a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative content analysis of online news in the traditional website (n= 702) and YouTube channels (n= 103) within the two years of invasion. Given Indonesia’s strategic foreign policy and economic ties with Russia and Ukraine, the invasion coverage provides critical insights into how the country understands and discusses the conflict. The findings underscore the difference in news sources between the traditional news website and the YouTube channel due to the media business model that relied on AdSense..