Discourse as a Mechanism of Political Power Legitimation in de facto States of the Post-Soviet Space

Abstract

The persistence of frozen conflicts in the post-Soviet space has led to the emergence of de facto states – entities that exercise effective political control while lacking international recognition. In the absence of external legal legitimacy, these regimes rely on discourse as a central compensatory mechanism, employing identity-based, historical, and security narratives to secure internal acceptance and to project the image of a “functional state” externally. Against this backdrop, this article examines the role of political and media discourse in the legitimation of power in de facto states, focusing on the strategies through which political elites construct collective identity, define alterity, and justify the existing political order.