Russia and Norway on Svalbard in Russian Media: Morphosyntax and the Construction of Arctic Actors

Abstract

This study examines how the Russian mainstream newspaper Rossijskaja Gazeta represented Russia and Norway in the context of Svalbard during 2022–2025. Svalbard is a Norwegian Arctic Archipelago with a unique legal status that allows other countries, including Russia, to conduct economic activity there. Using Keymorph Analysis, grounded in Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies and Cognitive Linguistics, the study investigates how grammatical case patterns shape portrayals of the two states. The main findings show that both actors are depicted as intentional and proactive: Norway as the sovereign and regulatory authority, and Russia as a legitimate economic actor on the archipelago. Across this discourse, their relationship is often framed as oppositional. Norway appears as a strong, often negatively evaluated force that initiates changes and thus determines outcomes, while Russia is portrayed as a weaker reactive force constrained by Norwegian actions but still attempting to act.