Invectives as a Means of Creating an Image of the Enemy in the Information War (Based on the Materials of Telegram Channels of War Correspondents)

Due to the current geopolitical situation, research aimed at studying the information war waged in the media space is relevant. The article examines the invectives with which military journalists create an image of the enemy in conditions of not only military, but also information confrontation. The research material was ten Telegram channels of war correspondents, which made it possible to consider a specific cross-section of the current communicative situation concerning their own and strained relations with the collective West, from the point of view of influencing the audience through linguistic means. 154 examples of invectives used by the authors of Telegram channels in the course of commenting on the military conflict were revealed. The methods of linguistic stylistic, lexico-semantic and contextual analysis are used. The results of the study showed that the image of the enemy is created using a variety of linguistic means carrying an invective function. The image of the enemy is also based on stereotypical ideas formed about a particular nation or political leader.Understanding the mechanisms of creating an enemy image can help reduce the "degree of tension" of mass communication media, including recognizing manipulations of enemy media, contributing to the linguistic security of the media space.