Issue 2025, 4: A longitudinal study of Russophone conspiracy theories about Ukraine. Content and methodological insights
This article, based on longitudinal ethnography of Russophone groups in Estonia, examines conspiracy theories about the war in Ukraine as they emerged and evolved ever since the full-scale invasion. First, I explore the initial narratives and the underlying vulnerabilities driving conspiratorial thinking. I then discuss why these theories became taboo. Finally, I propose a novel approach to studying self-censored conspiracy theories – the metalevel analysis – and present preliminary findings from research on Russian-speaking adolescents in Estonia.
Baltic Worlds covers; the Baltic Sea Region, Eastern Europe, Russia, CentralAsia, Caucasus and the Balkan area.