MARKERS OF COLONIAL DISCOURSE IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION IN THE TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLAST
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Abstract
The present study investigates the colonial and occupational discourse embedded in the business communication of the Russian Federation within the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The research draws upon postcolonial theory, critical discourse analysis and contemporary studies on neo-imperialism to explore how linguistic, visual and institutional-economic markers function to legitimise the occupation and integrate the seized territories into the Russian political and economic framework. The analysis is based on empirical materials drawn from the propaganda media ecosystem of the Autonomous Nonprofit Organisation (ANO) Za!Media, including Za!Inform, Za!TV, and Zaporozhskij Vestnik, which operate as central instruments of ideological control and economic propaganda. The findings reveal that Russian business communication in the TOT reproduces a classical colonial logic in which economic exploitation is masked by the rhetoric of "care", "development", and "reunification." The imposition of Russian currency, legislation, and administrative control can be regarded as a systemic attempt to erase Ukrainian sovereignty and reconstitute the local economy as a dependent appendage of the metropole. The study identifies four core groups of colonial markers: linguistic (narratives of unity, stability, and prosperity under Russian rule); visual (militarised symbols and the branding prefix Za!); event-based (public rituals, patriotic campaigns, and state-organised PR events); and institutional-economic (forced re-registration of businesses, nationalisation of assets, and creation of special economic zones). Collectively, these mechanisms construct an illusion of "integration" that conceals the coercive and extractive nature of occupation. The research interprets Russian economic communication as a performative act of imperial governance, as seen through the lens of postcolonial theory. The appropriation of Ukrainian industrial and natural resources, including grain and minerals, is linguistically legitimised through bureaucratic euphemisms such as "inventorying real estate" and "abandoned property". Advertising and public relations (PR) activities have become instruments of ideological persuasion, promoting loyalty to the occupying regime. The systematic suppression of Ukrainian linguistic and symbolic identifiers, in conjunction with the absence of independent commercial advertising, has emerged as a pivotal discursive marker of colonial domination. The study concludes that the business and media communication practices of the Russian occupation administration form an integrated neo-colonial strategy aimed at permanent economic and cultural subjugation. Russia’s occupation discourse transforms business communication into a tool of symbolic annexation by combining coercive control, ideological assimilation, and pseudo-economic development. These findings highlight the importance of analysing communicative practices as key evidence of economic aggression and colonial intent in modern hybrid warfare.
How to Cite
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colonial discourse, neo-imperialism, business communication, Russian occupation, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, postcolonial theory, propaganda, economic integration, discourse analysis, information control
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