The Psychology of Character Assassination in Putin’s Russia: Reputation, Power, and the New Authorit

This presentation explores how character assassination has become a central tool of governance in Putin’s Russia, where political legitimacy is increasingly upheld not through democratic consensus but by discrediting adversaries. Blending Soviet-style smear tactics with modern information warfare, the Kremlin targets domestic and international figures alike, often conflating dissent with treason. The study introduces the five pillars model of character assassination—monopolized media, loyalist experts, staged public outrage, legal manipulation, and memory erasure—to show how reputations are systematically destroyed. Through chilling examples, the paper reveals not just the psychological mechanics of reputational violence, but also how such tactics shape the moral landscape of authoritarian rule in the digital age.

When and where? October 15, 2025, 5-7 p.m., Czech Academy of Sciences, Národní 3, Prague 1, Room 205.

Organized by the Institute of Psychology of the CAS in cooperation with the Section of Political Psychology and Psychology of Democracy at the Czech-Moravian Psychological Society, as part of OP JAK MEDISon and Strategy AV21/32 Identities in the World of Wars and Crises.

Entrance is free, but due to space limitations, please register using the form: https://tinyurl.com/prihlasky2025

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• Next month, 7th October, 10:00 am, Kdy je čas říct dost? in Prague