LINGUISTIC AND COMMUNICATIVE ANALYSIS OF VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY’S SPEECHES (2022–2024)

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive linguistic and communicative analysis of the rhetoric employed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the wartime crisis of 2022–2024.The study is based on his public addresses to both domestic and international audiences. Its main objective is to identify the linguistic devices that construct the persuasive image of a leader capable of uniting the nation, inspiring resilience, mobilizing action, and building trust. The analysis covers lexical (metaphors, repetitions, markers of positivity/negativity), syntactic (short sentences, anaphora, epiphora, parallelism), and stylistic (epithets, antitheses, framing) elements.The findings reveal that Zelenskyy’s rhetoric is not a random set of oratorical techniques, but a coherent system of influence in which language supports morale, strengthens national identity, constructs the “us vs. them” narrative, and positions Ukraine as a moral authority. Particular attention is paid to the rhythm of his speeches, the role of emotionally charged vocabulary, structural repetition, and communicative strategies – including mobilizing, empathetic, and global appeals.The article concludes that effective rhetoric in times of crisis can be as crucial as military or economic strategies. The proposed analysis offers deeper insight into how the image of modern political leaders is constructed in the public sphere and highlights the central role of language in that process. This study may be of interest to linguists, journalists, political scientists, crisis communication experts, and all professionals working with public discourse in times of national and international upheaval.