How to defeat the Russian Federation in the Information War. Three questions to experts on the project Ramstein Information
Why do you consider the creation of "Information Ramstin" extremely important? Video Day 2. The most relevant common tasks - Ukraine and the civilized world - in this phase of the information war? 3. In contrast to the propaganda of the Russian Federation, the main efforts of the Western world were still focused on the cessation of access to the Russian media, not on building their own counter -propaganda strategy.
What should be three whales of this strategy in your opinion? Psychologist, sociologist and public figure, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Director of the Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine 1. The initiative is relevant both in the first position - the support of independent media, and in the second - counter -propaganda.
In Ukraine, there is really an acute problem of financial support for independent media, which are an extremely important element of resistance, and then, after victory, and the reconstruction of Ukraine. It is necessary to make efforts and find understanding of Western partners. Everything goes to defense today. And the state of the state is to defend the interests of independent media and support their important work.
As for the second moment, the strategy of counteracting Russian misinformation, then I think, unfortunately, we are losing. The war with Russia began as an information, then moved into the economic plane, later became hybrid, and now we are experiencing a hot phase. I always emphasized that Russia is capable of systemic violence. One of the means of systemic violence is the imposition of information that detracts the enemy.
And those who constantly use distorted information turn into obedient performers of the will of a certain ruling top. Russian politicians are professional propagandists because they have a historical experience of consistent imperial influence on mass consciousness. We can't. We generally missed the first stages of information war.
And now we need to think about how to return the initiative and resist that very great harm in Russia (because the majority of the population is transformed into zombies or people who are simply afraid to have their own opinion, to express something), and in Europe. 2. I am sure that we can develop a system of anti-propaganda influence, which, first, is based on the cover of all spheres of life, not only about war. Secondly, it should cover all countries that are our allies.
We need to address them all of them and emphasize that Russian propaganda is based on methods known from the Second World War, which were used by Goebbels and others. But Russian propaganda not only borrowed from the Nazis means of influencing the masses, but also multiplied everything by huge funds that Hebbels had no. The principles of totalitarian propaganda multiplied by incredible funds are a very scary weapon.
The interest of our allies is not to support Ukrainians as good people who protect their own country from aggression. It is, first and foremost, that their countries are not victims of new aggression from modern Russia, so that their citizens do not become totalitarian zombies. Our task is to explain this methodically and persistently. Therefore, systematicity is needed. 3. Three principles on which a new counter -propaganda campaign should be built. The first is historicity.
Ukrainians on their own skin felt what Russia is. We are killed. And even so in Ukraine, under the influence of Russian propaganda, according to polls, there are 8-10 percent of pro -Russian citizens. I will answer as a sociologist that even more-about 15–20 percent, because not everyone is ready in the conditions of war, when everything is black and white, to express their opinion, if it contradicts the opinion of the vast majority.
Therefore, counter -propaganda is also needed in Ukraine, although it will be easier for us to cope with the remnants of pro -Russian sentiment, given the direct experience of the Russian invasion. However, there are many Europeans who have forgotten that Russia is that the aggressor country is a successor to the Soviet Union. The last war on the continent has long been. The Czech Republic and Germany were mentioned somewhat of the history of the last century. And the Hungarians, for example, no.
Therefore, the mission of Ukrainians - history lessons, one must seriously work with countries such as Hungary, Serbia . . . The principle of historicality must be demonstrated, parallels between the present and the times of the Horde invasion. Here we will remember how a great hike west began in 1236.
By this time, historians have been arguing how many Mongolian and their allied troops went on this grand tour, but these forces were enough to pass from the Volga Bulgaria (now Kazan) to the Venice and the Adriatic Sea in six years! The Russian principalities, Poland and Hungary, the Caucasus and the German lands, Croatia and the Austrian Duchy, Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria fell before the Mongols.
It was a threat to all of Europe, and it should be recalled that the principles of the political organization of the Horde are reproduced in the Russian Federation. It is also the heir to the principles of Byzantine policy. Russia took them into service, improving for centuries. Some Europeans do not understand now why they are worried about Mariupol or Kherson.
That is why it is so important to remind them of the principle of historicality that Russia is the successor of the empires-from the Horde to the USSR-not only formally, but also in all its political and moral and psychological essence. It is necessary to clearly clarify the historical roots and the continuity of evil. The second principle is the humanization of Ukrainians. The Russians consistently published us in the eyes of our own population, hanging all sorts of Nazi labels.
They try to impose the same because of their agents to the world. Interesting sociological aspect: according to the Levada Center's studies for 2014-2015, Ukrainians were better treated with Russians even after 2014 than Russians. Although the Russians attacked us, they hurt us. In order to humanize Ukrainians in the context of counteracting Russian propaganda, we need to give more examples of human behavior of Ukrainians in inhumane conditions.
Unfortunately, our Ukrainian counter -propaganda is hardly used. This should be emphasized separately. The principle of humanization will work well through visual, even artistic expressiveness. One visually correctly transmitted fact costs a dozen pages of text. Most people are difficult to master large texts, and for better perception of information, the picture is more. This should be taken into account. Why do you think that Americans have such a popular comic book genre? Easy perception.
Publication with visual expressiveness will work effectively. It is necessary to actively involve the artists. Unlike the aggressor, Ukrainians retain humanity even in difficult conditions. The third principle is the authority of the source of information. We need to attract the most respected people in the world, in Europe, Ukraine, even Russia. This is done spontaneously, and it should be done systematically. Austrian diplomat, ambassador, historian and philologist.
Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum in Ukraine (2011-2015) 1. "Information Ramstein" will undoubtedly be an effective tool for disseminating objective and regular information about war in Ukraine, at the same time a tool to counteract false and fake news and the general attitude of some people in the West, ready to accept the logic of Kremlin propaganda.
For example, those persons who are in place for the termination of EU sanctions and who are ready to accept Moscow's claims for dominance to the Russian extent outside the territory of the Russian Federation in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. 2.
The most relevant task is to seriously and reasonably explain that historically, politically and legally caused Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which are the origins of Russia's current aggression and the right of Ukraine to self -defense, independence and self -determination. 3.
Structuring reliable reference information focused on leading media in all European countries, EU countries outside NATO, Middle East, Asia, as well as in some countries of Africa and Latin America, Australia - in addition to a normal daily report on events in events in Ukraine. It would be a appropriate strategy to show how neo -imperialist expansionism is unacceptable in democratic and peaceful international community.
I wish the success of the courageous people of Ukraine that cannot be defeated! Diplomat, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine 1. The modern global civilization crisis, caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine, objectively motivates the unification Supporting countries of totalitarian direction. In fact, the whole information global space has become the arena of the struggle of two worldviews - democratic and totalitarian aggressive.
This necessitates the consolidation of the intellectual forces of the "united event" and Ukraine against the propaganda machine of Moscow and its associates. Such an effort could happen according to the organizational algorithm of the military-political process, which we conditionally call "Ramstein". This process is the highest form of unification of forces and resources that create a mechanism for counteracting Russian aggression.
The restraining factor on the path of formation of "information Ramstein", as paradoxically, it sounds, is the realization of the principles of unconditional freedom of speech and independence of information policy of the main participants of resistance to the propaganda campaign of the aggressor. Independence, the "sovereignty" of the activities of Western media largely complicates the process of unifying the platform of counteraction to Moscow fakes, falsification and information provocations.
2 and 3. Combining organizational efforts to create "Information Ramstein" should start with simple things, such as: starting a multilateral system of verification of sources of information on which Moscow messages are based; conducting joint journalistic investigations of facts that are launched by a propaganda machine and more.
An actual common task of Ukraine and the civilized world in this phase of the information war would be the opening of a network of correspondent points of leading Western media in Ukraine, in particular in Kiev, whose methodology should be the coverage of the true picture of Russian aggression in Ukraine and its consequences in real conditions from the place of events.
As practice shows, the information "coverage" of wars from Moscow objectively misleads world public opinion, since it is largely based on sources of Russian propaganda. Another "whale" of this anti-propaganda strategy should be the material and technical assistance of the event in improving the information network with the participation of Ukrainian media.
Such assistance should include strengthening the technical base of Ukrainian information sources, internships of Ukrainian journalists in the leading media and establishing professional relations between them. This would greatly contribute to the creation of objective conditions for qualitative, truthful and impartial informing of the civilized world about events in Ukraine and around it. Political Science (Berlin), Head of the Biolla Foundation in Ukraine (2015-2021) 1.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of formats and tools to counteract Russian propaganda. The hostile Russian activity in the information sphere has paved the way to this war and still helps the Russians to do many harm to Ukraine and Europe. Russian misinformation, propaganda, distorted narratives and lies spreading all channels, from the UN Security Council and ending with the social networks or scientific community, help them kill people.
The West is still too uninitiated and naive (or sometimes voluntarily blind) to resist this tsunami lies and repel. Therefore, the Information Ramstein initiative is very important. 2. This war will be won by weapons on the battlefield. But the path to this victory can only be done if Western countries send enough weapons to Ukraine and do so as soon as possible.
An important task is to provide Western countries with clear and truthful information about why weapons are needed and how Ukraine uses it to protect the West in particular. However, the next important task will be no later than when the Ukrainian army is on the collision line on February 24. Unfortunately, for many people in the West, in particular for politicians, it will be a moment when they will call for Ukraine to "stop" and "not provoke Russia".
The same thing will be when the Ukrainian army advances to the gates of Crimea on the Perekopsky isthmus. Our task is to explain to politicians and the public why Ukraine needs to go further and liberate people from Russia -occupied territories. And this explanation should be started in advance so that in a few months not to be surprised by the anti -war, but in fact, pro -Russian discourse. 3. I believe that reducing Russian active propaganda is a very important step.
Unfortunately, this is not fully done. For example, many of Russia -controlled analytical centers continue to work in Europe.
Another problem is the fact that even free Western media or scientific circles often suffer from narratives that the Russians have planted in the West decades ago: for example, very few journalists are really deeply immersed in the issue of Russian imperialism and colonialism on Russian-Ukrainian relations and continue to analyze the war Due to the optics of "brotherly peoples", "Russian as a native language to millions of Ukrainians" and more.