How Can Leaders Counter Hostile Propaganda?
How does propaganda influence each of us? Is the virtue of critical thinking developed enough to validate any information that enters our space? Are we aware of the impact of this tool on the global community?
Andrew Rozhdestvensky, Executive Director of the UCU Leadership Center and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior, participated in a meeting co-organized by the Ukrainian Embassy in Italy on the topic: “Countering Propaganda as a Global Challenge.” Here are key points from his speech, which you can share with your teams or foreign partners. These insights are based on military leadership research and joint efforts with Serhiy Lesnyak, a historian of Eastern philosophy, lecturer at UCU Business School, and the first translator of Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” from classical Chinese into Ukrainian.
Propaganda as a Tool of Strategic Deception
Russian propaganda is not a new phenomenon, but its scale and technological sophistication have increased during the war. Key tools used by Russia include:
- Disinformation: Spreading fake news about “biolabs” or a “Nazi regime” in Ukraine.
- Creating Chaos: Using bots and trolls to disseminate conflicting information and amplify distrust within societies.
- Historical Manipulation: Exploiting the notion of “brotherly nations” to justify military aggression.
These methods help craft an alternate reality where the aggressor appears as the victim, and the victim as the aggressor.
The Scale and Impact of Russian Propaganda
Russian propaganda operates on two levels: external and internal.
External Propaganda
According to studies by the OpenMinds Institute, Russian disinformation targets Western societies, leveraging modern technologies:
- Influence on Democratic Processes:
Telegram has become one of the main tools for spreading fake news, especially in the U.S., where around 10 million users actively use the platform. This enables manipulation of public opinion and even election outcomes. - Propaganda on Occupied Territories via TikTok:
On temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, TikTok predominantly showcases Russian content. This is due to rerouting internet traffic through Russian servers, enabling targeted propaganda aimed at local youth.
Internal Propaganda
Russia’s domestic information front has also intensified:
- Record-breaking military campaigns:
From 2022 to 2024, the number of ads for contract military service on social media skyrocketed. Studies reveal that 76.6% of positive comments on such ads were generated by bots.
This dual-pronged propaganda sustains both external and internal mobilization for continued warfare.
Can the Democratic World Win the Information War?
Democratic nations possess several advantages in combating disinformation:
- Technology and transparency help quickly identify and debunk fake news.
- International cooperation strengthens the protection of the information space.
However, challenges remain:
- Slower response due to democratic processes.
- Polarized societies, which become easy targets for authoritarian regimes.
Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi, an information warfare researcher and founder of the OpenMinds Institute, aptly compared the situation to a boxing match:
“The democratic world resembles a boxer who only defends and never counters. Such a fight cannot last long and won’t lead to victory.”
This highlights the importance of counterattacking in the information war.
What Must Be Done Now to Counter Enemy Propaganda?
- Develop critical thinking among citizens — integrate media literacy into school and university curricula.
- Respond swiftly to emerging propaganda challenges, as fact-checking platforms like VoxCheck do.
- Counterattack by creating powerful truthful narratives — expose disinformation, emphasize Ukraine’s successes, reforms, and progress even amid war.
- Engage civil society in combating disinformation — involve international opinion leaders in collaboration.
Truth triumphs when we actively defend and promote it. Ukraine has already demonstrated effective strategies on the information front, and these lessons are crucial for the entire democratic world. There is much work ahead, but we already have the tools necessary to succeed.
