Information challenges for Ukraine in the conditions of the russian-ukrainian hybrid warfare

Abstract

Emphasis is placed on the need for a comprehensive analysis of the information and communication component in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The issues of information challenges for Ukraine as a result of the destructive propaganda and manipulative acts of the Russian authorities and mass media, the spread of information expansion and aggression of the Russian Federation are investigated. It is determined that information challenges have both short and long term dimensions. Information influence from the Russian Federation is conditioned by historical tradition, common development, social & cultural heritage. In addition, the information aggression on Ukraine is based on the «Russian world» concept, which is widely popularized by the Russian media, scientists and politicians, and poses a potential threat to the sovereignty of this country, preserving the integrity of its territory. In the process of forming information challenges for Ukraine, three stages were identified: 1991–1999, as the initial stage; the end of 2013 – the beginning of 2014 – the deployment of active propaganda and manipulation actions by the Russian special services, political and media in order to change the views, consciousness and actions of the Ukrainian society, as well as to create a negative image of Ukraine in the world. The third stage, starting from 2014 until today, clearly demonstrates the extent of the Russian invasion into the information and communication space of Ukraine and the Ukrainians’ consciousness. It is determined that the preservation of information sovereignty and the formation of an effective security system in the information sphere are the urgent problems for Ukraine, which today is the object of external information expansion, manipulative technologies and destructive information invasion.