Russian invasion, information warfare favors Ukraine

[March 7, AFP] Ukraine has so far won the information war on social media over Russia's aggression against Ukraine, experts say.

　Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains in Kiev, the capital, where heavy bombing continues despite being threatened with assassination. The government is desperately engaged in information warfare to win the support of the world.

© Mikhail KLIMENTYEV / SPUTNIK / AFP President Vladimir Putin poses with employees of Aeroflot Russian Airlines on March 5, 2022.

　Mr. Zelensky's video speeches with English subtitles are distributed daily and are gaining popularity. The Defense and Foreign Ministers use sophisticated graphics to publicize the achievements of the Ukrainian military's resistance.

© AFP PHOTO /UKRAINIAN PRESIDENCY PRESS OFFICE Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech in Kiev. Provided by the presidential office of the country (photographed and provided on March 4, 2022).

　Videos made by civilians have also been circulated, such as scenes in which the Ukrainian side shot down a Russian helicopter with a missile, and farmers pulling Russian military equipment with a tractor.

　The self-portrait of citizens crying and walking through the rubble after their hometown was destroyed by bombing captured the hearts of people around the world.

　There are also contents whose authenticity cannot be verified, such as the pilot "Ghost of Kiev" who shot down more than a dozen Russian fighter planes, and a woman living in Kiev who claims to have shot down an unmanned attack aircraft with a pickle jar.

　Baptiste Robert, founder of the French company "Predicta Lab", which deals with countermeasures against disinformation, said, "At the initial stage, it is clear that Ukraine's information warfare is influencing international public opinion. is winning," he said.

"The most striking thing is the sense of togetherness," said Robert. "Ukrainian people really want to document this war. If anything happens, they pull out their phones."

　Mr. Robert said that while most of the pro-Ukrainian videos circulating on Twitter were genuine, fact checks revealed that some of the facts had been exaggerated.

Rewind

　There was also information that all 13 guards on a small island in the Black Sea died in action after cursing a Russian warship. Ukrainian authorities later confirmed everyone alive. The Ukrainian embassy in Paris, France, said the misinformation was unintentional.

　Russia is suspected of intervening in the 2016 US presidential election to help Donald Trump win. As a result, he was considered an information warfare expert.

© AFP PHOTO / Facebook account of Volodymyr Zelensky Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the camera. From the video posted on his Facebook account (taken on February 26, 2022).

　However, so far, the Russian government's information manipulation has not been successful.

Emily Harding, who specializes in international security programs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), predicts that Russia will "try to catch up." She's just saying she's going to take a while to get back on track.

© AFP PHOTO / Facebook account of Volodymyr Zelensky Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the camera. From a video posted on his Facebook account (taken on February 25, 2022).

What Mr. Harding predicts is ``spreading false information that makes the Ukrainian forces surrender''.

　Russia does not seem to care much about international public opinion. It is focused on maintaining domestic support for President Vladimir Putin.

　As a result, the government shut down independent media. In addition to blocking Facebook, Twitter has also been restricted.

© AFP PHOTO / Facebook account of Volodymyr Zelensky Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the camera. From the video posted on his Facebook account (taken on March 4, 2022).

Darren Linvill, chief researcher of the Media Forensic Hub at Clemson University in the United States, said, "It's true that the Ukrainian side has the upper hand (in information warfare), but in the end Putin ( The president cares most about what his supporters think of him."

© AFP PHOTO / Facebook account of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry Smoke rises from a missile-hit television tower in Kiev, Ukraine. From the Facebook page of the Ministry of the Interior (published March 1, 2022).

　The operation is expected to take longer than Russia expected due to resistance from the Ukrainian side. Information warfare is also expected to enter a new phase.

© AFP PHOTO / TELEGRAM / @VITALIY_KLITSCHKO An apartment building hit by a missile in Kiev, Ukraine. From security camera footage released by Mayor Vitali Klitschko on his Telegram account (published February 26, 2022).

Mr. Robert said that if the number of Ukrainian cities taken over by the Russian army increases, "regions that continue to resist will start a new information warfare, and the Russian side will also counter it." .

© AFP PHOTO / Ukraine Emergency Ministry press service / handout In front of the Kharkov State Government Building after being attacked by Russian forces. Ukrainian Emergency Service released on the message app "Telegram" (released on March 1, 2022).

[Translation Edit] AFPBB News

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