Narratives and Mechanisms of institutionalization of the “Decolonization of Russia” Project

Aim. To identify and describe the narrative structure and technological mechanisms through which regional socio-economic issues are «repackaged» into destructive ideological constructions of the decolonization type, as well as to show how these constructions are institutionalized through project-based network forms and fixed in the information environment.; Based on the results obtained, formulate a set of applied counteraction measures aimed at neutralizing key narratives, reducing the vulnerability of target audiences and building a proactive counter-narrative strategy.

Methodology. The research is carried out in the logic of qualitative discursive-narrative analysis based on the approaches of strategic communications and analysis of information and psychological impact.

Research implication. As a result of the research, it is established that the decolonization discourse is an integral narrative structure in which historical, socio-economic and political arguments are combined into a single scheme of delegitimization of Russian statehood. It is shown that the key mechanism is the «repackaging» of regional development imbalances through selective factionalization, emotionalization, and the transfer of managerial problems into identity conflict, followed by digital scaling and quasi-exploratory consolidation of interpretations. The reproducibility of this technology in various regional cases and its institutionalization in project-based network forms ensuring sustainable reproduction of the agenda are revealed. This confirms that the decolonization framework does not function as a private position, but as an instrument of destructive strategic communications directed against Russia.

Research implications of the study lies in a comprehensive understanding of the discourse of the “decolonization of Russia” as an instrument of information and cognitive warfare. The paper clarifies the mechanisms through which postcolonial concepts are politicized, demonstrating how they are transformed into tools of discursive delegitimization of statehood and the erosion of a shared civic identity, and contributes to the theory of hybrid conflicts by incorporating an analysis of cognitive and narrative dimensions. The findings can be applied in the analytical and expert activities of public authorities, in the development of strategies to counter destructive information influences, in media environment monitoring systems, as well as in educational and methodological materials on information security, national policy, and strategic communications.

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