Mediated multipolarity: Russia Today's discursive construction of India before and after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

This article examines how Russia Today (RT), a state-funded international broadcaster, reframed its coverage of India before and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Drawing on a longitudinal dataset of 635 English-language articles published between 2019 and 2023, the study combines topic modelling with discursive framing analysis to trace a shift in RT's India-related narratives. In the pre-war period, India appeared sporadically and was framed through domestic reporting. However, after 2022, RT increasingly positioned India as a strategic partner aligned with Russia's vision of a multipolar global order. Grounded in theories of media diplomacy and discursive geopolitics, the article introduces the concept of mediated multipolarity, which refers to the communicative construction of alternative geopolitical alignments through strategic media narratives. The study contributes to debates on media's role in international politics and the evolving function of state-aligned media during periods of war and geopolitical conflict.