RECONFIGURATION OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES OF STATE AND PUBLIC ACTORS IN THE UKRAINIAN INFORMATION SPACE IN 2024–2025

Abstract

The article is dedicated to a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of communication strategies employed by state and public actors in the Ukrainian information space during 2024–2025 in the context of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. The study examines the evolution from the mobilization rhetoric characteristic of the initial stage of military confrontation (2022–2023) to more complex, multidimensional narratives that integrate military resilience, diplomatic initiatives, European integration, and prospects for post-conflict reconstruction. The transformation of presidential communication from the narrative of rapid and inevitable victory to the recognition of the protracted nature of the conflict and the necessity of a complex negotiation process has been analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the influence of external geopolitical factors, notably the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President in November 2024, on the reconfiguration of Ukrainian communication strategy and the shift in public expectations. The processes of institutionalization of strategic communications have been revealed through the approval by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of systematic communication strategies in various spheres of state policy (anti-corruption, development of electronic communications, creation of barrier-free space) and the formation of inter-departmental coordination bodies. The main characteristics of the political discourse during the studied period have been identified: high adaptability of the communication strategy to changing external circumstances (frontline situation, international support, geopolitical events); multi-audience orientation involving simultaneous appeals to domestic audience (Ukrainian society), international audience (partners and allies), and adversary (Russia); gradual rationalization of messages with transition from emotionally charged mobilization forms to pragmatic communication; systematic long-term planning instead of ad-hoc reactions; growing fragmentation of the communication space through articulation of alternative narratives by opposition politicians, independent media, and civil activists.