‘We are facing the creation of a climate of fear in Ukrainian society, aggressive rhetoric, indulging neo-Nazis and militarising the country. Along with that we are witnessing not just complete dependence but direct external control […] by foreign advisers, military “development” of the territory of Ukraine and deployment of NATO infrastructure’ (Putin, 2021).

This quote from Russian President Vladimir Putin demonstrates that the war in Ukraine is a war of narratives. Information warfare is crucial in military conflicts (Farwell, 2020). Developments in information technologies have simplified the spreading of narratives and propaganda, shaping public opinion globally (Fridman et al., 2018). In this context, stories may make the difference between winning and losing a war more than military actions alone (Farwell, 2020; Maksymiv, 2023). The Russo-Ukrainian War is an illustrative example of this trend. Both sides have invested heavily in ‘information warfare’. The main objective of this paper is thus to understand the narratives advanced by the two sides of the conflict. What are the communication strategies of Russia and Ukraine? Moreover, how are they spreading their side of the story?