For two years now the war in Southeast Ukraine has claimed approximately 10,000 lives and countless casualties. Pegged as a civil war, the conflict is waging on between pro-Western nationalists and pro-Russian separatists. The war ignited after the public ousting of President Yanukovch in Maidan Square in the midst of thousands of protesters, and the subsequent annexation of Crimea. Although the Russian Federation maintains it does not have a military presence in Ukraine, U.S. intelligence and Ukrainian military officials have evidence otherwise. As a result, the West has imposed significant sanctions on “Putin's Russia”. This study explores how Putin justifies the Russian incursion into Ukraine through his own rhetoric, and further, whether this rhetoric changes when speaking to a domestic versus international audience. In the context of framing, this study analyzes 57 speeches, interviews, and excerpts of Vladimir Putin focused on the Crisis in Ukraine, from the years of 2013 to 2016. Throughout the literature, Kin-state rallying, Russian encirclement by enemies/isolation, Russian ethnocentrism, blurred legal rhetoric, and manipulation of historical myth, are the predominant frames that emerge. By way of propaganda, the findings indicate that Putin's most frequently used justifications frame the conflict through Russia's necessity to protect its brother nation from an unstable government, and the projection of blame onto the West. In effect, this study not only emphasizes the significance and implications of framing by elites in conflict, it also sheds light on the current debate over Putin's motivations in Ukraine. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts; / Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy / MA; / Thesis;

No

The need for reliable financial information has led to the establishment of audits as a vital component of corporate governance. Audits serve to enhance the credibility of financial statements, mitigate agency conflicts, and instill trust among stakeholders. In an evolving business landscape, external factors such as covid, war, and climate change have emerged, potentially impacting the determinants of audit fees. Purpose: The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the influence of external risk factors such as the covid pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change on audit fees. Theoretical perspectives: Theoretical concepts base on previous research and publications on determinants of audit fees, audit risk, the covid pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change. Literature was used to derive the research gap and research questions. Methodology: A qualitative method base exploratory approach. A literature review was conducted to uncover areas of interest that require more research. The influence of external risk on the audit fees was identified as a potential area for research; a focus on the covid pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change. The research is based on semi-structured interviews with auditors from big four audit firms in Sweden. Empirical foundation: Six auditors from various professional levels participated in the interview process to obtain empirical data. Conclusions: The findings of the study show that covid, Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change have significant implications on audit fees. These external factors contribute to increased complexity and risk in the audit process, necessitating additional resources and effort leading to increase in audit fees. Recognizing the influence of COVID-19, war, and climate change on audit fees is crucial for auditors, audit clients, policymakers, and regulators. This awareness can inform decision-making processes, financial planning, risk assessments, and the development of appropriate regulatory frameworks, ultimately promoting transparency and strengthening the overall integrity of the audit process. The findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge and serve as a foundation for further exploration and understanding of the complex relationship between these external factors and audit fees.

This thesis presents a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of comments about the Russo- Ukraine war on Facebook and Instagram from February 2022 until March 2023 and points out topics that are dominantly discussed and stereotypes that are used in connection to the war. For this, critical discourse analysis (CDA) was employed as analytical framework and method (Fairclough, 2010). Related concepts were taken into consideration such as ideology, power and hegemony (Gramsci, 1971) as well as Lippmann’s theory of stereotypes (1922). Furthermore, the users’ emotional connection to topics and stereotypes was established by conducting a sentiment analysis with the help of a word-emotion association lexicon (Mohammad & Turney, 2011). This lexicon was elaborated in the process of analysis: Irony as a new category emerged. Results suggest that online users judge individuals and groups of people, such as refugees and whole nations in predictable, simple, often negative categories or stereotypes as Lippmann (1922) described it over a hundred years ago. Whereas users express solidarity and love towards Ukrainians who stay in the country and fight bravely against the aggressor Russia at the beginning of the war, negative views are expressed towards Ukraine refugees and refugees in general who flee to Europe. Furthermore, Russophobic comments can be found and the current war situation is compared to the Second World War. Thereby, users make use of irony in comments about dystopian scenarios such as facing a possible Third World War with nuclear strikes. Those results are critically discussed in connection to nationalist and populist ideologies.

Since the end of the Cold War, security and security threats have transcended beyond the traditional security aspects due to changed global interactions in the facets of economic, political, diplomatic and even domestic policies of individual states. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has not only heightened defence and security concerns in Europe and globally but has also revived the Cold War security tensions in some way necessitating an understanding of how contemporary security threats and crisis preparedness are perceived by civilians in this modern day and age.  Building from Ontological Security theory which holds that when an individual's sense of self and stability is challenged, they experience enormous anxiety, this study examines the attitudes and perceptions of the youths (many of whom were born and raised in the post-Cold War era) on security threats as well as their knowledge and trust in the government's civil defence and crisis preparedness in Växjö, Sweden. The study's analysis concludes that, despite being barely informed on civil defence crisis preparedness, Växjö's youths regard the ongoing war in Ukraine as less threatening to their ontological security but rather other human security issues due to factors like the war's narrative bearing little relevance, youth's media scepticism and refraining from negative news. Furthermore, the findings present a dramatic range of trust among the youths in the government's competence to handle emergencies, reflecting on crisis preparedness knowledge among the youths in Växjö.

Abstract This thesis investigates Romania’s response to the Russia-Ukraine war, focusing on the discourse surrounding sovereignty, the limitations of military power, and the potential for diplomatic alternatives. The study critically analyzes Romanian media coverage and political statements to explore how sovereignty is framed in the context of the conflict and examines the efficacy of military power versus non-military diplomatic strategies. Through a qualitative content analysis of selected Romanian news articles and official communications, the research identifies key themes and narratives that shape Romania’s stance on the conflict. The findings reveal a complex relationship between national security concerns, historical ties, and international diplomatic pressures. Moreover, the study highlights the constraints and costs associated with military power projection and underscores the importance of diplomatic avenues in mitigating conflict. By providing a comprehensive understanding of Romania’s position and proposing diplomatic strategies as viable alternatives to militarism, this thesis contributes to broader discussions on international relations and conflict resolution. The study also addresses methodological limitations, including potential biases in source selection and translation challenges.

Background: In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and put the world into a state of geopolitical crisis, leading to severe negative spillover effects on the global economy. Corporations were compelled to respond to the geopolitical crisis, while some were indirectly exposed to the war and others directly affected, all corporations had to decide on their strategic actions. Thus, questions arise how and why corporations acted as they did. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how corporations react to a geopolitical crisis, and further explain how they make their strategic decisions. The study adopts a contingency perspective to identify the fundamental basis upon which strategic decisions were made. Additionally, the study tests whether stakeholders’ influences can explain the corporations’ decisions. Method: This study employs a quantitative methodology with a deductive approach in an exploratory and positivistic paradigm. This is done to examine the relationship between corporations’ exposure to Russia, stakeholders’ influences, and strategic decisions regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. Data were gathered from annual reports and various databases, and analyzed using Spearman correlation matrix and linear regression models. Conclusion: The findings show that corporations act differently depending on their contingencies in reaction to a geopolitical crisis. Furthermore, stakeholders influence the strategic decisions in corporations indirectly affected by the geopolitical crisis, however, their influence is diminished in corporations directly impacted. While some stakeholder influences were found on the strategic decisions made by the most severely impacted corporations, other factors seem to ultimately determine the strategic decisions in the directly impacted corporations.

On the 24th of February Russia invaded Ukraine from multiple directions, causing a sudden influx of Ukrainians fleeing the country to the EU territories to be safe from the war. The reactions from the neighboring countries were uncharacteristically welcoming and humanitarian aid was promptly delivered to the ones in need. This creates a contrast to the refugees coming from outside Europe and their treatment. This thesis utilizes a three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis to examine the discourse on Ukrainian refugees in Deutsche Welle and Aljazeera in the days following the start of the invasion. Poststructural theory of power and identity constructions is employed to uncover hidden assumptions and knowledge production in the discourse. I argue that the notions of Eurocentrism and Eurocentric views on identities are prevailing in the discourse and that this emphasis on Europe as the in-group deepens the divide between the out-group.

This master's thesis examines the importance of the explosion incident at Nord Stream and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Sweden’s security sectors. The critical energy project Nord Stream 1 and its expansion to Nord Stream 2 have created bipolar attitudes and debates in Sweden and the EU regarding the security implications of increased Russian power. The Ukraine war and the physical attack on the pipelines have only amplified security concerns in the international political arena. This thesis aims to provide a descriptive understanding of the explosion incident and Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine and their resulting impact on Sweden’s ability to establish a stable security strategy viewed by security sectors such as national-, environmental-, energy-, military-, economic-, human-, and societal-security. Additionally, this thesis also explores these issues from Sweden’s perspective with the use of classic international relations perspectives such as realism and liberalism. Results present that the security sector reports heightened tensions, with Russia potentially increasing military activities. New intensified threat perception for Sweden, negative environmental impacts, affecting on human health and security. Effects regarding energy security. New security threats for Russia's establishment within the European market, impact and effects on nations' identity and uncertainty about the new political situation, and increased insecurity for essential societal infrastructures.

This study investigates the legal and ethical challenges posed by cyber warfare in the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war. Cyber warfare represents a transition from traditional conflict dynamics, impacting civilian populations and national security without direct physical confrontations. The significance of this research is the inadequacy of current legal norms that govern the rapidly evolving techniques of cyber-attacks which challenge established norms of International Humanitarian Law. Hence, the research question explores how cyber warfare challenges existing legal and ethical norms for civilian protection, and what the broader implications are for the regulation of modern conflicts. Through a qualitative case study approach, the thesis analyses three cases of Russian cyber-attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure: the 2015 attack on the Ukrainian power grid, the 2023 cyber-attack on Kyivstar, and the 2022 Asylum Ambuscade. In the simplified legal framework by Hoffman and Rumsey, these cases were analysed using the Tallinn Manual, and Mary Kaldor’s New Wars theory to highlight the challenges and violations of IHL. The findings conclude that the IHL framework is insufficient for the unique challenges of cyber warfare. Moreover, the study addresses for the revaluation and updating of international legal norms to keep up with the constant development of cyber warfare. In all, this thesis showcases the need for enhanced legal standards that can safeguard civilian populations and maintain international security, contributing to the fields of international law and conflict resolution.