On 7 September Dmitri Teperik, Chief Executive, ICDS, spoke at a discussion panel in a seminar entitled “Information, Cyber and Hybrid means as a new warfare methods” that was organised by the Estonian Centre for Eastern Partnership and the Estonian School of Diplomacy.
Dmitri presented in the first panel of the seminar the results of ICDS’s research projects in Ukraine. Among other issues he identified indigenous vulnerabilities in the Ukrainian society that undermine national resiliency such as weak public institutions, deepening distrust towards government institutions, companies, and civil society, as well as several cultural and socio-economic issues that have been politizised and securitized by Russia. In addition, Dmytro Zolotuhin, Deputy Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine, and Ambassador Dr Sergiy Korsunsky, Director of Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, presented their analysis of and insights on the propaganda campaign of Russia against Ukraine. In the second panel, Ukrainian political and media analysts Dr Hanna Shelest and Dr Yevgenia Gaber and a senior expert Daca Kundrate from the NATO Strategic Communication COE presented analysis of various techniques and tactics employed by Russia and Turkey in order to manipulate information and influence public opinion in support of political objectives.
Discussion panels were moderated by Piret Pernik, research fellow, ICDS. More than 20 government officials from Ukraine, media experts, researchers, journalists, and diplomates residing in Estonia attended the event.