On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, framed as a limited “special military operation”, rather than the largest invasion in Europe since World War II. Although Ukraine put up fierce resistance, the Kremlin doubled down on their “special military operation”, using the Russian information space to insulate their population from the realities of the catastrophic invasion. However, as the months passed, Ukrainian capabilities grew, and a new threat to the carefully cultivated image of the invasion as limited emerged: strikes on military bases on territory that had been held by Russia before February 24. This study looks at the Russian media space’s reaction to four drone attacks on Russian held territory through mainstream media. The study uses the method “Naming, Blaming, Claiming” with the aim of showing how Russian media identified the problem (naming), who was responsible (blaming), and what was done to mitigate the issue (claiming). It will be shown that the blame for these attacks shifted with time, from Ukraine to the West. Additionally, it provides insight into how the Russian information space, specifically news media, behaves during such events.

The present thesis analyses and clarifies the phenomenon of hybrid warfare. While the term has established its place in the political lexicon, current definitions and explanations are inadequate and unhelpful. This thesis addresses that shortfall by providing a concise strategic definition and a unifying theory of hybrid warfare. As a thesis grounded in the Realist tradition, the analysis focuses on the strategic implications with a view to aid in practical policy-making. Following a theoretical examination of the context and the intellectual history of the term, hybrid warfare is defined as a deliberately opaque blend of conventional and unconventional warfare. The rules of the international order and its 'guardian powers' are a key to understanding hybrid warfare and this thesis provides that understanding through the concept of the quinity. Based on the trinity, a concept emanating from Clausewitzian thought, the quinity blends traditional notions of war with the contemporary international order. The unique set of circumstances which such a combination creates is then combined with the proposed definition and operationalised through an examination of the defence policies and doctrines of the leading global powers. Hybrid warfare, whether practiced by state-like actors like Hezbollah, or states like Russia and China, can be said to represent the future of warfare, at least in the near- to mid- term. As a form of warfare which is not limited to any one domain, hybrid warfare is examined in its land, air, and maritime iterations by analysing the cases of the 2006 Lebanon War, the 2014 Ukraine crisis, and the South China Sea disputes. Its combination of opaqueness, effectiveness, impact, and strategic surprise makes it a carefully balanced and finely calibrated tool of international coercion.

This study seeks to investigate, from both macro and micro perspectives, the effect of brand activism on consumer loyalty.  The macro perspective examines the general relationship between brand activism and consumer loyalty, whereas the micro perspective examines the specific context of companies' withdrawal from Russia as a form of brand activism.  The study conducts a comprehensive analysis of how the consumer receives information about brand activism. The macro-level literature review investigates the definition and evolution of brand activism, the relationship between brand activism and consumer loyalty, and the communication strategies' effect on consumer loyalty. On a micro level, the study concentrates on the decisions corporations made as part of their brand activism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict of 2022.  The purpose of this study is to thoroughly comprehend the intricate relationship between brand activism and consumer loyalty.  The methodology section describes the hypotheses model as well as the research strategy based on surveys and interviews.  This study's findings provide new insights into the influence of brand activism on consumer loyalty and its three components (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) as well as brand activism communication strategies on the macro level, and into the specific context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the micro level. It highlights that brand activism shapes consumer loyalty differently through the three components and according to the context. Additionally, social media is the communication channel that influences the most the relationship between brand activism and consumer loyalty on both macro and micro perspectives.  This study contributes to the disciplines of marketing and consumer behavior by advancing the relationship among brand activism, consumer loyalty, and communication.

The thesis analyses framing of news in four local on-line media of Donetsk Oblast in Eastern Ukraine. Two of the analysed on-line news websites (Novosti Donbassa and Mariupolskie Novosti) are based in Ukraine-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast, the two other (DAN and Gorlovka.Today) are located in so-called Donetsk People's Republic established by pro- Russian rebels. The thesis focuses on news reporting of two major events of the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine which occurred in 2015: The battle of the city of Debaltseve and the preparations of local elections in so-called people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The analysis is based on Robert N. Entman's definition of framing analysis which consists of searching for keywords, phrases and other tools which build the frame.

This dissertation studies topics in the areas of international finance. In the first chapter, the Unintended Consequences of Financial Sanctions, I study the economic impact of the U.S. financial sanctions against Russian companies in the aftermath of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. I show that this sanctions program, which primarily cut off access to international financial markets for sanctioned firms, produced an unintended consequence of strengthening the sanctions targets relative to their unsanctioned peers. Specifically, while the policy successfully halted new international borrowings by sanctioned companies, the spillover impact of the policy resulted in these targets shrinking in size by less than unsanctioned Russian firms. To explain these results, I argue that sanctions led to a reallocation of domestic resources in favor of sanctioned firms. In particular, sanctions precipitated capital crowding out and credit rationing, causing unsanctioned domestic borrowers to suffer more from the policy. The research highlights the limitation of "targeted sanctions" and also sheds light more broadly on the impact of international financial integration and capital flows on firm size dynamics. In the second chapter, Quantitative Analysis of Sanctions Policy, I theoretically and quantitatively analyze the impact of financial sanctions on the target firms and the target economy. I introduce a heterogeneous firm model with segmented capital markets and financial frictions in which sanctions against international borrowers led to capital crowding out and credit rationing among domestic borrowers. I calibrate the model to the 2014 U.S. financial sanctions episode and use the model to estimate the impact of sanctions on firm sizes and macroeconomic variables. I also evaluate policy alternatives and identify factors for policymakers to consider in calibrating future sanctions programs. I conclude by discussing the 2022 sanctions program and inferring broader policy implications. In the third chapter, the Impact of Monetary Policy on the Specialness of U.S. Treasuries, I estimate the causal effect of monetary policy on the specialness of U.S. Treasuries. Quantifying this specialness by the U.S. Treasury Premium, which is the difference in the convenience yield of U.S. Treasuries and that of government bonds of other developed countries measured as the deviation from covered interest parity between government bond yields, I find that monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve increases the specialness of U.S. Treasuries primarily by increasing the convenience yield of U.S. Treasuries. I also find that the magnitude of the impact varies across the term structure and across countries, especially after the Global Financial Crisis, and U.S. and foreign monetary policy shocks have asymmetric impacts on the specialness of U.S. Treasuries. These results provide evidence for the unique ability of the Federal Reserve to affect the specialness of U.S. Treasuries by altering the supply of dollar safe assets.

In recent years politicians have increasingly appeared in various types of entertainment media. For example, the President of the United States Joe Biden appeared on the talkshow The Late Late Show with James Corden. A notable example from 2022 is the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenkyy. He, who made his career as a comedian, became known as a political figure thanks to starring in the TV series Servant of the People. When he became president, the main focus from the Western media was that he was just that, a comedian. However, on February 24 2022, he was immortalized as the person who sat as president of Ukraine during the Russian invasion. The aim of this thesis is therefore to examine how the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, creates discourses in an entertainment interview during an ongoing war. The research questions for the essay are: (1) What discourses about the war in Ukraine does Zelenskyy raise verbally and non-verbally in My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy? (2) How does Volodymyr Zelenskyy build authenticity and trust through the interview verbally and non-verbally? (3) What is the role of humor in communication about the war in Ukraine in the interview? The material analyzed in the thesis is the episode My next guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy which is apart of David Letterman’s talkshow. Zelenskyy appeared in the thirty-minute interview in December of 2022 in Ukraine. The method used is multimodal discourse analysis and Fairclough's three-dimensional model. The results from the analysis present that the main discourse that Zelenskyj raises about the war is that Ukraine and Ukrainians are suffering and fighting to survive against Russia. With non-verbal communication, Zelenskyy succeeds in building trust and authenticity. As for humor, the analysis showed that it is important to use gallows humor to achieve resilience for the oppressed and that Zelenskyy can use satire to a certain extent in the interview. The main conclusion of the thesis is that Zelenskyy follows the conventions for a talkshow, however he differs from the classic talkshow format by speaking more about the Ukrainian people than himself.

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This thesis concerns about the effectiveness of sanctions imposed between Russia and the EU in 2014. Firstly are conducted theoretical foundations of sanctions and their imposition from the EU as well as Russian contra-sanctions. Secondly, the analysis is based on the gravity model in trade in log-linear form and further develop out-of-sample estimations about trade potentials. Although trade potentials did not proved the expected decrease in exports from EU to Russia, the Input-Output analysis of impacts on exports of food products did so. Results yielded calculated impacts on GDP of various countries due to food embargo that are more or less comparable with the actual evolution of GDP and trade flows. Thirdly, the indirect effects of sanctions of third country effect and re-exports are observed from trade patterns. There has been recorded increased exports of food related products from the EU towards members of Euroasian Customs Union as well as increased imports from these countries to Russia. Finally, the results points out decreased economic activity of Russia due to depreciation of domestic currency, capital flight, decline in oil prices and also sanctions adding up to the problems the economy deals with. The economic impacts of sanctions are present in both parties. However, from the political view sanctions did not proved to be effective so far. Russian intervention in Ukraine territory is continuing.

We have an opportunity not only to interact with 3D content but also to immerse ourselves in it via Virtual Reality (VR). This work is deeply inspired by my experience as a Ukrainian witnessing the recent turmoil in my homeland. I wanted people around the globe to experience the horrors that are unfolding. The Voice of the People, explores narrative storytelling through VR. Ultimately, the viewer will be able to put on a VR headset and become deeply immersed in the story. With this technology, the user intimately experiences the war and devastation created by Russian occupation first hand. The end of World War II is a critical time in my country’s history. Included in the 3D environment are video segments of those affected by the current Russian occupation; historical themes underscore the narrative and help the viewer understand the recurring aggression by Russia that is part of Ukraine’s history. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection