Since the start of the military conflict in Ukraine, pro-government Russian media have sharply increased the volume of aggressive content—open insults and incitements to violence against "hostile" countries, the opposition, migrants, the LGBT community, and supporters of so-called "non-traditional values." These are the findings of an analysis conducted by *Novaya Gazeta Europe*.
According to the study, 66% of materials about the opposition after February 2022 carried a negative tone. The volume of aggressive statements increased by 1.8 times. During the wartime period, every fifth published piece contained elements of hate speech.
A similar trend was observed in coverage of LGBT issues and "non-traditional values": the level of aggressive rhetoric rose by 1.7 times, with an overall negative tone present in 59% of publications. One in ten posts included offensive statements or calls to restrict rights.
The wave of hatred toward migrants intensified in the second half of 2023, and by 2024, the volume of aggressive statements exceeded pre-war levels by 1.8 times. Currently, 31% of materials about migrants have a negative tone, while one in twenty publications contains explicit calls for discrimination.
In anonymous and personal Z-channels, the level of aggressive content is nearly five times higher than in official media, with the share of negative posts twice as large. At the same time, even in state media (*Tsargrad*, *Zvezda*, RT), a similar upward trend is clearly visible.
The escalation of aggressive rhetoric often coincided with waves of repression or preparations for discriminatory initiatives—such as anti-migrant raids or the criminalization of LGBT individuals. Analysts suggest that such "hate campaigns" allow authorities to redirect public discontent from the war and social issues toward vulnerable groups unable to fight back.