A propaganda research model for the analysis of Russian propaganda in Lithuania

The hybrid warfare waged in Ukraine by Russia has again made propaganda relevant in the field of political science. Both the Republic of Lithuania and the European Union are facing propaganda from the East; therefore, many aspects of this phenomenon are being studied and receive much attention. However, there is a lack of some deeper, more structuralised and methodically reasonable models, which would allow us to analyse this kind of information, its goals and influence to society and its country. The aim of this article is to suggest a model on propaganda research that would allow us to fully analyse the aspects of this phenomenon. Such a methodology would help us understand the tactics used by propagandists and prevent these hostile actions in the future. In this article, we discussed a definition of propaganda and overviewed the evolution of this phenomenon in the 20th–21st centuries. There is no single approach towards what is propaganda. Therefore, the Authors of this article use the definition of propaganda introduced by Garth Jowett and Victoria O’Donnell: “Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behaviour to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist”. Within this article we look at how propaganda works, what are its main characteristics and goals. We conclude that the model introduced by Jowett and O’Donnell may be applied in the research of interstate informational campaigns...