Válečné zločiny a dezinformační narativy. Případová studie: Buča 2022

This bachelor's thesis examines the mechanisms of disinformation narrative formation in Russian state media and their role in constructing the political and moral legitimation of war crimes committed in Bucha, Ukraine, in April 2022. Drawing on theoretical concepts of information warfare, propaganda, and the „firehose of falsehood" model, it employs a comparative case study of three Russian media outlets — RT, Sputnik, and Channel One. Through critical discourse analysis based on the approaches of N. Fairclough and T. Van Dijk, this thesis shows how the events in Bucha were interpreted through macro-narratives of total denial, displacement of responsibility, inversion of roles, and delegitimisation of the Ukrainian state. The analysis further reveals how these narratives are adapted for different target audiences — the domestic Russian public, foreign audiences in the EU and USA, and the population of occupied territories — and how they serve as instruments for denying war crimes and obstructing international justice.