Belief in State Propaganda Narratives Is Associated with Russian Soldiers’ Combat Motivation

This study examines the psychological mechanisms through which belief in state war propaganda relates to combat motivation among Russian soldiers during the war in Ukraine. Using a cross-sectional survey of 1,060 Russian prisoners of war, we examined the relationship between belief in official propaganda narratives and two key outcomes: voluntary surrender and self-reported intentions to re-enlist. Results revealed that stronger belief in propaganda was associated with a lower likelihood of surrendering voluntarily and higher intentions to re-enlist upon release. Mediation analyses identified perceived legitimacy of the "Special Military Operation" (SMO) as the primary psychological pathway, such that perceived legitimacy statistically fully accounted for the association between propaganda beliefs and both outcomes in our models. Contrary to expectations, identity fusion with the "Russian World" ideology and dehumanization of Ukrainians did not exhibit significant effects in the mediation models once covariates were accounted for. These findings suggest that propaganda’s influence on combat motivation may operate primarily by reinforcing soldiers’ perceptions of the war’s legitimacy rather than through identity-based or dehumanizing processes. The study offers empirical insights on propaganda's link to combat motivation via legitimacy, informing narrative interventions in deradicalization and conflict psychology.