Framing the War: Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Rhetorical Reaction to Russian Invasion as a Tool of Crisis Management

Political discourse represents a tool for achieving the goals of power that relevant actors intend to pursue, especially in times of crisis or war. Nevertheless, there are few empirical analyses that explore how political leaders employ political communication to rhetorically frame and manage crises. We use content analysis to assess the extent to which the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to adopt specific patterns of political discourse. This article breaks new ground in its combined focus on political communication and crisis management.