Media as a mirror and instrument of legitimacy of power in wartime

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis of the transformation of political legitimacy in Ukraine under martial law (2022–2025). The author examines the media space not merely as a reflection of political processes, but as the sole arena for their existence given the temporary suspension of constitutional mechanisms of direct democracy (elections, referenda, peaceful assemblies). The research employs theoretical frameworks from media philosophy (J. Baudrillard), sociology of power (M. Castells), and communication theory (E. Noelle-Neumann). The central hypothesis posits that during the war, institutional legitimacy has been supplanted by "screen legitimacy." The authorities exist for the citizen only insofar as they are capable of generating a convincing media image of competence and control. The article conducts a detailed analysis of the dualistic structure of the Ukrainian information sphere that has emerged during the war. On one hand, there is the centralized state narrative implemented through the "United News" telemarathon. The author traces the evolution of this instrument from a function of "therapeutic legitimacy" and social stabilization in 2022 to a "warm bath" effect and detachment from reality in 2024. On the other hand, there is the unregulated, anarchic ecosystem of Telegram channels, which has assumed the functions of a "shadow parliament" and the primary venue for political criticism. Particular attention is paid to mechanisms of delegitimization through new media. Using case studies of "busification" (video evidence of forced mobilization) and corruption scandals, the article demonstrates how horizontal networks can erode the state's monopoly on truth and the right to coercion. It is argued that the existence of two parallel media realities ("televisual" and "digital") creates a "schizophrenic legitimacy" that threatens national security and the resilience of the political system in the face of hybrid threats from the Russian Federation.