Russian propaganda is constantly adapting its narratives in the context of the war in Ukraine, and as overt propaganda loses its effectiveness, it increasingly turns to disinformation and truncating part of the truth, according to Ukrainian expert Maria Avdeeva. She explained, in an interview for VERIDICA, what are the best practices for countering the information war that Russia is waging in Ukraine and in the region. Maria Avdeeva also spoke about the support that Romania gives to Ukraine, but also about a trilateral joint initiative in the region that could combat the fakes of the information war waged by the Russian Federation.
Maria Avdeeva is a Ukrainian strategic communications and security expert specialising in countering disinformation. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she shifted her focus to documenting the Russian Army's war crimes in Ukraine, reporting to a broad international audience, and working with major global media outlets. CNN, BBC, NPR, CBC, DW and other international media sources have quoted her analyses and opinions on the security sphere. Maria Avdeeva has written several training courses and articles on detecting and countering malicious information operations.
The Russian propaganda is trying to take advantage of Ukrainian war fatigue
Veridica: What are the main narratives that Russian propaganda is pushing right now in Ukraine after two years since the military invasion in February 2022?
Maria Avdeeva: Russia constantly changes its tactics, pushing many stories or false narratives. The Russians see the situation and where the weakness lies at a specific moment. They look for the cracks inside society and then try to manipulate it based on these cracks.
It's essential to understand the situation in Ukraine now because society is quite exhausted after two years since the war started. Many men, women, and children are in a tough situation. They have been fighting for two years.
There is a lack of resources and military personnel. And this is where Russia sees their possibilities to manipulate and push the stories they would like to divide the Ukrainian society even more. This is why Ukraine sees it as very important to unite the society.
In the first months of the invasion, the Ukrainian society was very united. The Ukrainians are not tired of war. They are exhausted because they live under constant stress for all this time.
So Ukrainians are still eager to fight, anxious to help the army. The amount of fundraising money is very high, and it's increasing. However, living under this kind of stress affects them psychologically. And this is the sensitive point that Russia is trying to manipulate now.
Veridica: Did you sense a shift in the central narratives of Russian propaganda with every military phase from 2022 until today?
Maria Avdeeva: Russia is using propaganda and its information war very adaptively. They understand that clear disinformation or fakes no longer work in Ukraine.
Or it doesn't work as effectively as when Russia started the information war against Ukraine. Russia is trying now to use more misinformation. More precisely, information is not entirely fake, but it's presented in a way that affects Ukrainian society.
So, they are working on a higher level now because they have adapted and developed their techniques. They are very closely monitoring everything that is happening. Then, Russians try to play on these topics. For example, just several days ago, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Army, General Valery Zaluzhny, was dismissed.
And there is a new commander now, General Oleksandr Syrskyi. Russia obviously wanted to divide the Ukrainian society on this matter, saying that those who were in support of Zaluzhny now have to go and protest.
The government's strategic communication answer was that this was the general leading the army now. He has to have the full support of our citizens. So, the Ukrainian military did not allow Russia to manipulate this topic.
The replacement was a routine procedure of the change in the army's command. Actually, after two years, this was an expected move. Because the war has changed its pace, the new commander will use new methods and techniques. It happens in every army. The army's leadership is changing, and it was done in a very consensual and open way.
It was not only one general who was replaced, but the top military leadership. That means the new leadership will use new techniques and strategies further during the war.
Veridica: What are the most efficient ways and methods Ukraine is fighting Russian propaganda these days? What are the best practices?
Maria Avdeeva: Well, several main ways work very well when combined. I will start with the most obvious. It's debunking fake news and disinformation. So, several governmental agencies and civil society organisations have made it their primary goal. They look into all the disinformation and fake news Russia produces. And then, they explain what is fake and why Russia is using this.
Then, civil society coordinated its efforts in communicating the Ukrainian narrative, which is very important. The Ukrainian voice must be as loud as possible on social media, in the press, and in talking to foreign journalists because this is what helps us to continue fighting in this information war. And this is an information war. Therefore, Russia never put aside this information war, and they are continuing to do this.
As I said, this is a united effort. Like a network, we coordinate with experts and agencies who work in this field and share information.
If something is happening from the Russian side, we discuss what a Ukrainian response could be. These are two ways of fighting the Russian propaganda.
The third one is the governmental strategic communication effort. We have several agencies. One is the Security Council's centre, and another is the Strategic Communication Center within the Ministry of Information.
The army has its own strategic communication centres. Shortly, one of the best ways to fight disinformation is to make your voice louder and propose other narratives that will be more compelling than those your enemy is trying to push.
Russia is trying this year as well to influence the political process in the United States
Veridica: 2024 will be an essential year regarding elections worldwide. Most notable are the presidential elections in the US. Are you observing signs that Russian propaganda will be even more active this year as Russia is trying hard to prevent any aid for Ukraine?
Maria Avdeeva: Russia is all the time cheering up Trump, hoping he will be elected because they think that in case of his election, Russia will not be deterred as much as the Russians are now deterred by the current administration in Washington, which could also be a manipulation.
So, it is essential to understand that Russia sees the political debate in the United States and tries to manipulate and use it to its advantage.
We have known cases when Russia was involved in specific malign or information operations inside American elections before. This year, there will be no difference. Moreover, Russians will be more active. This year is critical for Ukraine and the war in Ukraine because of the aid that will continue to come from the United States. Also, many other countries have elections, which prevents them from making unpopular decisions inside their countries. This situation will lead to Russia pushing very useful narratives for them.
Romania, Ukraine and Moldova should join forces in their fight against Russian propaganda
Veridica: Do you think maybe it will be a good idea for Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania to form a joint task force or even an institution to tackle together the Russian propaganda in these three neighbouring countries as a lot of fake narratives are similar in all three countries?
Maria Avdeeva: Yes. This idea would be great. I don't know if the communication is already going on, for example, between military institutions. But this will be very helpful.
Better communication between civic organisations will also be good. When we see something happening due to Russia's intervention, it will be best to discuss it between us to understand our joint strategy to respond.
It's always much more accessible to resolve the problem between two countries and not to allow Russia to manipulate this, making it a massive issue for the relations between nations, for example, councils or at least regular meetings, which are pretty simple to organise now online.
Even speaking out and discussing what each country is observing would be great. It is helpful because you can understand If Moldova is observing specific trends now in this country, it will come to Ukraine or vice versa.
Veridica: Romania, as you know, chose not to reveal how it helps Ukraine for mostly internal political reasons and not to fuel far-right rhetorics. How do you assess the Romanian help for Ukraine in this war?
Maria Avdeeva: That topic is not widely covered for obvious reasons. However, we know Romania is helping. Romania is Ukraine's closest neighbour on the Black Sea.
Without that help and the logistical assistance, many things will not happen, and many things will not get into Ukraine, so Ukraine needs every country, especially our closest neighbours, to stand with us also; we know that you - Romania and Moldova - probably understand the threat even better.
Because these countries were already involved in the Russian imperialistic approach, they knew well what Russia aimed at.
Moscow is not aiming just for Ukraine, so having Romania close together is a huge advantage because we understand that Ukraine is not abandoned and that the other allies and NATO are united against this threat.
I don't know if this is the case now, but before Russia invaded Ukraine, as I was following, the idea was that it should be a NATO facility in Romania for combating cyber threats.
I hope this works, and when it is possible, Ukraine will also become a member of this alliance. As you know, Ukraine aspires to receive NATO membership and will be an equal partner in NATO's activities.
