YouTube as a Tool for Digital Diplomacy and Strategic Security: A Comparative Analysis of Russia and Kazakhstan

In the context of growing competition in the information space, digital diplomacy is gaining key importance for the strategic security of states. This study analyzes how Russia and Kazakhstan use the YouTube platform to promote their foreign policy narratives, shape the image of the state, and strengthen digital sovereignty. Based on a qualitative analysis of 60 videos (30 for each country) published by official government channels between 2020 and 2024, differences in strategies, visual codes, tonality, and patterns of interaction with the audience were identified. The Russian approach is characterized by an aggressive narrative, antagonism to Western structures, and a high degree of ideologization. Kazakhstan, on the contrary, relies on the pragmatic promotion of the image of a stable, open, and modernizing state. The article documents that digital diplomacy in the context of platform algorithms is becoming an element of both foreign policy projection and ensuring internal stability. The conclusions emphasize that digital content management and citizen participation in international dialogues are becoming new challenges and opportunities in ensuring the strategic security of states.