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A criminal, a sick person, a colonizer, a vassal… Metaphors as the justification for Russia’s new policy towards the EU

Romanova T.A.,

Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia; Professor, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University, Moscow, Russia, t.romanova@spbu.ru

elibrary_id: 200093 | ORCID: 0000-0002-5199-0003 | RESEARCHER_ID: J-6397-2013

Article received: 2025.07.06 09:54. Accepted: 2025.12.17 09:54


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2026.02.10
EDN: AZBJNK

Rubric: Theory and methodology of political studies

For citation:

Romanova T.A. A criminal, a sick person, a colonizer, a vassal… Metaphors as the justification for Russia’s new policy towards the EU. – Polis. Political Studies. 2026. No. 2. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2026.02.10. EDN: AZBJNK (In Russ.)

Abstract

Russia’s official representation of the EU has become highly metaphorical since 2022. The goal of this article is to demonstrate how metaphors explained fundamental changes in Moscow’s political course towards the EU. Theoretically the research is based on J. Charteris-Black’s critical metaphor analysis. Empirics consists of messages in the official telegram channel of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU from March 2022 through June 2025. The article identifies metaphorical phrases and groups them into 11 major conceptual metaphors. They vary from a ‘colonizer’ and ‘vassal’ to ‘(mentally) sick’, from an actor who ‘forgot the lessons of the Second World War’ and ‘integration ideals’ to ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘illegal activity’. This is the basis for identifying four conceptual keys in Russia’s official representation of the EU: the latter comes out as having lost its moral authority, not deserving trust, dangerous and pitiful. Reasons for persuasiveness of these metaphors are identified. Conceptually, Russia’s representation of the EU leads to its ‘symbolic annihilation’. In policy practice, Brussels is blamed for the current deplorable state of the relationship. 2023-2024 marked the peak in the metaphorical intensity; it signals the time of Russia’s active legitimation of its new policy towards the EU. This policy consists of four components: ignoring the EU, resisting its aggressive steps, decentering away from Europe (Euro-Atlantic Area) to Eurasia, and conditional openness to contacts with the EU in the future should relevant conditions for these contacts emerge (primarily, a transformation of the EU’s policy towards Russia). Russia’s metaphorical justification of its new policy on the EU is addressed to both Russian audience and international actors. While the domestic effect appears to have been politically consolidating, the international impact of Russia’s representation of the EU requires further research.

Keywords

representation, metaphor, critical discourse analysis, critical metaphor analysis, European Union, Russia–EU relations.

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