I agree with the general direction of this discussion but I disagree with a few of the author’s points.
The author neglects to address quite a few point which should be covered. I hope he contacts me offline.
This is a good examination of many of the good communications means in Donbas.
(Translated from Russian by my Chrome browser)
03/24/2015 – 12:00
Ukraine has not lost information war with Russia, although the force is definitely not equal. At the same time, we can say that Russia did not win this information war. Writes about this listing to speak at the roundtable “Anti-Russian aggression information: Joint effort to protect democracy,” an expert on information security TSVPI expert group “IP” Vyacheslav Hussars.
The main object of information warfare is the mass consciousness of the people, he said.
It is the opinion of mastering the Ukrainian audience is concentrated Russian news impact. Modern manipulating the mass consciousness forced large groups of people to believe in something that does not actually happens.
If you just try to imagine the occupied territories without Russian tanks, artillery, invaders and mercenaries, it will appear in front of us a terrible picture: hundreds of thousands of Donbass with a distorted perception of reality. People with distorted consciousness can not be allies for the Ukrainian side, as in the context of the information, and militarily.
Destruction of the economy and infrastructure that immediately catches the eye, for the information war – will be a secondary issue. The main indicator – the moral and psychological climate in the region and people’s attitude to the Ukrainian Donbass liberators.
Today it is clear to everyone that consciousness is not a mass audience is permanent and eternal.And then what, manipulated Kremlin officials allegedly inhabitants of Crimea “unanimously expressed the view that accession of their region in Russia” – it’s just a product of long-term exposure to information.
The auditor’s opinion can be formed, modify and correct. And today, the power of any state is not determined in dollars or gold reserves, and the ability to protect its national consciousness.
To date, the audience occupied parts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions for nearly twenty years was influenced by Russian propaganda.
Russia before the annexation of the Crimea and the invasion of Donbass than one year in these regions created its own information platform:
• media segment – TV, FM radio, print media and Internet sites;
• elements of social pressure – pro-Russian non-governmental organizations: Cossack brigade, patriotic organizations, fraternities, Russian, Society of Russian history and culture, etc .;
• elements of the socio-political influence – the organization with government funding of the Russian Federation, “Russian Cooperation” movement “Russian-speaking Ukraine”, the organization of Russian compatriots in Ukraine, and the like.
Therefore, when there was the occupation of Ukrainian territory – worked “fifth” column Donbass with the support of Moscow instructors. Locals who actually become carriers Russian ideas do not have an active resistance to the Russian ideologues and terrorists.
Russian information flow in the Donbas works to this day. The region is completely disconnected Ukrainian television and radio.
In Lugansk region
• TV – channel “Lugansk-24″
• FM-radio:
88.10 MHz – Radio “Don Cossack”
90.50 MHz – “Don Wave”
91.00 MHz – Radio “Mayak”
102.50 and 107.90MGts – “Radio New Russia”
In the Donetsk region:
• TV channels – “New Russia TV», «1st National TV Channel DNR”, “Hold TV”
• FM-radio:
90.50 and 99.00 MHz – “Radio DNR” with the inclusion of “Vesti FM»
100.50 MHz – “Voice of Russia”
106.00 MHz – “Autoradio”
And every day supporters of Ukraine’s Donbass getting smaller.
In fact, today’s audience occupied the Donets Basin – a “reformatted population”, which is almost a year living in the Russian media shell. At the same time, active intentions correct information situation in favor of Ukraine, unfortunately, is not observed.
Be objective, current actions of Ukraine in the information war, to put it mildly, not quite meet the requirements of the Information counter Kremlin pressure.
Firstly , in the occupied regions are no current information channels and bringing Ukrainian point of view on current events.
Secondly , in the tactics of warfare in ATU neglected of the event information and psychological operations. This can be judged by the results of monitoring the morale of the population in the occupied and liberated areas.
Third , for active awareness-raising activities on the side forces ATO is not a single mobile telecentre, radio studio FM or repeater. To prevent radio broadcasts and in the occupied zone is not applicable radio technology, although in service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine it is available.
Fourth , is clearly not enough media resources, including the Internet, to conduct awareness-raising activities aimed at supporting the audience occupied regions. The information flow is very rare to find content to support the Ukrainian people on the other side of the information field. It seems that some of our audience beyond the front line quite simply forgotten. They are waiting this support.
And one more important detail.
In the information field is not void if one party fails to provide the necessary information, the other – these uses and the pursuit of their interests, fills the information gap. Following this rule, the Donbas Russian information machine created for itself an ideal environment: the occupied regions are virtually isolated from the Ukraine in the information field.
Today we can say that public opinion residents Lugansk and Donetsk regions came under the full control of the security services of the Kremlin.
Moreover, the Kremlin propagandists do not limit themselves to the occupied region. In the area of information influence includes almost the entire Russian Ukrainian audience.
Under the theme of the discussion, I believe that you need to remember the regions in Ukraine, which was formed quite unstable moral and psychological situation:
• Russian-speaking regions, where the tangible effects of exposure to Kremlin propaganda among the population and formed a group of non-Ukrainian orientation (meaning – frankly anti-Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian neutral mood):
– Kharkov and region (up to 2 million people.) – 30% of the population of non-Ukrainian orientation;
– Krivoy Rog and region (800 thousand.) – 50%;
– Zaporozhye and region (less than 1 million people.) – 20%;
– Odessa and region (less than 1.5 million people.) – 40%;
(Data obtained from insider sources and are approximate with an error ± 3-8%).
• regions densely populated by national minorities, who actively supported the pro-Russian ultra-nationalist movements from neighboring countries:
– Bulgaria – Odessa, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv region: Bulgarian xenophobic nationalist party “Ataka” has repeatedly called on the Bulgarian leadership to veto the economic sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian Bulgarians condemned the call to war.
– Hungary – Transcarpathian region: Hungarian ultra-nationalist party “Jobbik” condemns Ukraine’s position in the war in the Donbas and each time the track conscription and mobilization campaign.Their goal – to prevent Ukrainian Hungarians for combat with the Russian occupiers;
– Romania – Chernivtsi and Zakarpattia region: the party of “Greater Romania” adjusts his countrymen that Ukraine illegally occupying land Northern Bukovina (part of Chernivtsi region). In her opinion, Ukraine should be under the protectorate of Russia.
This situation is reminiscent of a time bomb, hidden or newsworthy. We have to admit that today the Ukrainian government is not engaged in regions with unstable moral and psychological situation.
***
Thus, the information situation in the occupied areas of Donbass is actually under the control of the Kremlin’s security services, with an educated one, exclusively Russian flow of information. However, other sources of information is actually isolated from the Donbass.
And So.
It must be recognized that for the audience occupied Ukrainian Donbass held enough measures to counter enemy propaganda.
The most important thing is that this problem must recognize the power that, unfortunately, is not happening. Furthermore, Ukraine has no legal basis of the state information policy. This is the first .
Second . For information-affected areas need information Rehabilitation – a long process with a set of “non-rigid” counter-propaganda restorative nature.
Third . Monitoring, identification and tracking of information threats should take place in Ukraine, and not just in crisis regions. Any socio-psychological fluctuations should be appropriate reaction.
Fourth . It is necessary to consider the introduction of measures to informational constraints in the information field, which is typical of any country that has been fighting:
• creation of a body of state regulation on materials in the media, the Internet, e-mail messages and the like;
• Inventory of the media, who will carry out activities in the field of broadcasting, publishing and distribution of information materials;
• suspension of the activities of political parties and other public organizations in case of violation of the legislation on the ATO;
• The use of martial law in the interests of mobile operators’ activities, institutions postal services, publishing and printing companies, regardless of their form of ownership;
• suspension of the issuance of licenses or their cancellation in the event of the subjects of information activity of ATO legislation and so on.
Fifth . Timely information to current Ukrainian and foreign audiences. This refers to the fullest extent possible to provide consumers with Ukrainian information in order to reduce the influence of Russian sources for our audience.
I hope that in the near future there will be positive developments in the field of information space and information space itself will work to support policy decisions in Ukraine.
Vyacheslav Hussars, an expert on information security TSVPI group “IP”
Filed under:
Information operations