Vladimir Putin's narrative of Russian identity

Abstract: Throughout the 21st century, Russian policy has been identified primarily by one unalterable person – Vladimir Putin. His coming to power as president of the Russian Federation marked a new course in Russia’s policy. Putin’s political decisions and visions are of considerable importance in Russian domestic policy as much as in international politics. The aim of this paper is to study how Vladimir Putin, in his speeches to Russian diplomats, constructs his narrative about Russian identity in relation to the West, in particular, with the European Union and the United States of America. With the use of comparative and narrative thematical analyses as methods, combined with theories about constructivism, Russian ideas and history, the speeches have been compared and analysed in order to show how Putin narrates Russian identity throughout the years. The results show that the narrative of Russian identity changes over time. Russian identity evolves into a great power, while the narrative of the West becomes more negative. The study can contribute to deepening the understanding of how political leaders impact the formation of the country’s identity through the creation of a narrative that they share with the public.