Moralizing betrayal: the construction of the enemy in media discourse on the Russia–Ukraine war

Accusations of betrayal have become a recurrent feature of wartime communication across Russian, Ukrainian, and Western contexts since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This article conceptualizes betrayal not simply as moral denunciation, but as a structured justificatory pattern within processes of legitimation. Drawing on legitimation theory and Critical Discourse Analysis, it examines political speeches, media reporting, and selected religious statements between 2022 and 2025. It argues that the charge of betrayal performs a specific justificatory operation by linking moral evaluation directly to authorization. By recasting disagreement as disloyalty, it transforms contested political choices into perceived necessity. Across divergent communicative regimes, betrayal follows a recurrent sequence—moral classification, boundary construction, and implied sanction—thereby narrowing the range of legitimate alternatives. By isolating this compressed justificatory sequence, the article advances legitimation theory by demonstrating how moral classification is converted into institutional necessity in wartime discourse.