CHANGES IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS OF UKRAINE DURING THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR (2022–2024)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29038/2524-2679-2024-03-99-112Keywords:
strategic communications, Russian-Ukrainian war, communication channels, communication messages, social media, AIAbstract
Unpredictability caused by various factors, especially changes in the enemy’s strategy and tactics on a changing battlefield is one of the main specificities of strategic communications. On February 24, 2022, a new stage of the Russian- Ukrainian war began, associated with new challenges not only on the battle- field, but also in the information sphere. There is an aggravation of the confron- tation, which goes beyond the traditional propaganda of the Russian Federation and which is full of aggression not only against Ukraine and Ukrainian society, but also against the Western world. The purpose of this article is to inves- tigate how the strategic communications of Ukraine changed/evolved during 2022–2024 in the conditions of a full-scale war of the RF against Ukraine. The authors claim that Ukraine’s strategic communications have been undergoing three types of changes: adaptation, regulation, and innovation. Adaptation of strategic communications takes place in accordance with constant changes in the political, social and information environment. Ukraine’s strategic commu- nications proved to be flexible and ready to quickly respond to new challenges and situations. Regulation involved analyzing previous mistakes, successes and making necessary adjustments to improve existing competencies and capabili- ties in accordance with the changing realities of war. This included changing approaches to communicating with audiences, reassessing the effectiveness of previous strategies and optimizing them to achieve better results. Innovations have opened up new opportunities for Ukraine’s strategic communications. The use of digital platforms, social media, artificial intelligence, virtual rea- lity, big data analysis and other innovative tools made it possible to implement advanced approaches, improve the effectiveness of communications, attract more attention to key messages and initiatives, and ensure deeper engagement with the audience. All these three types of changes in strategic communications reflect the flexibility, adaptability and progressive nature of Ukrainian strategic communications in the complex conditions of war and information warfare.
References
1. V Akademiyi SBU prezentuvaly monohrafiyu pro stratehichni komunikatsiyi v umo- vakh hibrydnoyi viyny. URL: https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-antifake/3337964-v-aka- demii-sbu-prezentuvali-monografiu-pro-strategicni-komunikacii-v-umovah-gibridnoi-vijni. html
2. Pocheptsov, G. (2008). Stratehichni komunikatsiyi: stratehichni komunikatsiyi v politytsi, biznesi ta derzhavnomu upravlinni. Kyyiv: Alʹterpres, 216 p.
3. Stratehichni komunikatsiyi YES: protydiya destruktyvnym vplyvam: kol. monohr. / za zah. red. d-ra polit. nauk, prof. N. Karpchuk. Lutsʹk: Vezha-Druk, 2023. 308 p. URL: https:// evnuir.vnu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/22712
4. Adaptation. URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/adaptation
5. Adjustment. URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/adjustment
6. Bohlin, B., Ståhlberg, P. (2023). Managing Meaning in Ukraine: Information, Com- munication, and Narration since the Euromaidan Revolution. The MIT Press, 184 p.
7. Falkheimer, J., Heide, M. (2022). Strategic Communication: An Introduction to Theory and Global Practice. London: Routledge, 268 p.
8. Farrell, T. (2010). Improving in War: Military Adaptation and the British in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 2006–2009. Journal of Strategic Studies, No 33(4), p. 567–594.
9. Johnson, R., Clark, T. (2021). Introduction. The World Information War. Western Resilience, Campaigning, and Cognitive Effects / T. Clack, R. Johnson. London, New York: Routledge, 316 p.
10. Hoffman, F. G. (2021). Mars Adapting: Military Change During War. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 368 p.
11. Innovation. URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/innovation
12. Nilsson, P., Ekman, I. (2024). «Be Brave Like Ukraine»: Strategic Communica- tion and the Mediatization of War. National security and the future, No 25(1), p. 21–64. URL: https://doi.org/10.37458/nstf.25.1.2
