Conference Recordings
Opening Remarks, with greetings from:
Andrea Kopylech, University of Alberta
Oleksandr Pankieiev, University of Alberta
Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, University of Alberta
Dominique Arel, University of Ottawa
Andrii Bukvych, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Ukraine to Canada
Witold Dzielski, Ambassador of Poland to Canada
Egidijus Meilūnas, Ambassador of Lithuania to Canada
Kaspars Ozoliņš, Ambassador of Latvia to Canada
21st February, 2025, Ottawa, Canada.
Session 1: Russia’s Cyber and Communication Strategies in the War Against Ukraine
“Russia’s Cyber Strategy and Its War Against Ukraine”
Carolina Vendil Pallin, Department for Security Policy, FOI, Swedish Defence Research Agency
Formally, Russia does not have a cyber strategy or a cyber command. Notwithstanding, Russia is a cyber power, it conducts cyber operations, and it needs a cyber defence. Its thinking on cyber issues is part of its overall information strategy as well as its military thinking. Cyber preparations played an integral part of its invasion of Ukraine. Today, similarly to how it is learning on the battlefield, Russia is starting to incorporate its experience in the cyber domain during its war against Ukraine into its thinking on future conflicts.
Session 1 Q&A
Russia’s Cyber and Communication Strategies in the War Against Ukraine
Presenters: Carolina Vendil Pallin, Ofer Fridman
Chair: Dominique Arel, University of Ottawa
“The Collage of Russia’s Communication Strategy”
Ofer Fridman, King’s College London
This presentation focuses on the complexity of Russia’s communication strategy. A closer look suggests not only that Russia’s so-called “Information War” has a clear strategy but also that the Russians are tailoring it globally by weaponizing information in different ways around the world. Audiences are targeted with different narratives, through different means of communication for different purposes. Each one of these efforts represents the Kremlin’s carefully orchestrated piece of the full picture—a collage built of different parts with different levels of controllability and institutionalization, different audiences and different narratives.
Full Session Recording
Session 1: Russia’s Cyber and Communication Strategies in the War Against Ukraine
Presenters: Carolina Vendil Pallin, Ofer Fridman
Chair: Dominique Arel, University of Ottawa
Session 2: The Role of Social Media in Propaganda Strategies
“Russia’s All-Out War is Changing Social Media Usage in Ukraine”
Marta Dyczok, Western University
When Russia launched all-out war against Ukraine in February 2022, headlines appeared that this was the beginning of “social media warfare.” To date I have seen two trends: the use of social media in Ukraine has increased, but so has media convergence; in other words, the lines between different forms of media have blurred even more. My study looks at media and social media usage in Ukraine and seeks answers to the following questions: Who is posting content on social media and toward what end? And how are Ukrainians choosing where to get their information?
Session 2 Q&A
The Role of Social Media in Propaganda Strategies Q&A
Presenters: Marta Dyczok, Anatoliy Gruzd
Chair: Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, University of Alberta
“Mapping the spread of the Kremlin’s propaganda and disinformation on Telegram”
Anatoliy Gruzd, Toronto Metropolitan University
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has emerged as a key platform for amplifying war-related content. This presentation reports on our ongoing study that examines the spread of pro-Kremlin propaganda and disinformation on Telegram and its potential influence on Western public opinion. Through a “snowball sampling” method, we identified and analyzed 21,907 Telegram channels that discuss the Russo-Ukrainian war, focusing on the information-sharing practices of these channels and their role in propagating war-related narratives.
Full Session Recording
Session 2: The Role of Social Media in Propaganda Strategies
Presenters: Marta Dyczok, Anatoliy Gruzd
Chair: Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, University of Alberta
Session 3: Countering Russian Influence Operations: Regional and Global Perspectives
“Countering Russian Information and Influence (FIMI) Operations: Poland vs. Baltic States”
Agnieszka Legucka,Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Poland and the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) have faced concerted efforts by Moscow to destabilize their societies, erode trust in democratic institutions, and exploit historical grievances, marginalizing their ability to support Ukraine’s victory. This presentation will examine the role of historical memory in shaping narratives and public resilience, the effectiveness of NATO-enhanced media monitoring initiatives in the Baltic states versus Poland’s nationally driven approach, and the strategies employed by governments and civil society to build societal resistance to disinformation. It will offer policy recommendations that leverage the complementary strengths of Poland and the Baltic states in the broader global fight against malign influence.
Session 3 Q&A
Countering Russian Influence Operations Regional and Global Perspectives
Presenters: Agnieszka Legucka, Sarah Oates
Chair: Oleksandr Pankieiev, University of Alberta
“From Moscow to Mar-a-Lago: The role of Trump in amplifying and creating Russian propaganda”
Sarah Oates, University of Maryland
Presidents Trump and Putin may have very different countries to promote, but they often echo each other when it comes to political messages. This presentation will focus on the concept of strategic narratives, nationalistic messaging that play a key role in information warfare, to demonstrate how and when Trump and Putin appear to be “singing from the same hymnbook.” In particular, the discussion will consider Trump’s messaging around the war in Ukraine, which has echoed Putin’s contention that NATO has caused Russia to feel under existential threat but has not resonated with other Russian propaganda.
Full Session Recording
Session 3: Countering Russian Influence Operations Regional and Global Perspectives
Presenters: Agnieszka Legucka, Sarah Oates
Chair: Oleksandr Pankieiev, University of Alberta
Keynote Address: Why Putin’s Russia Attacked Ukraine
Keynote Address: “Why Putin’s Russia Attacked Ukraine”
Serhy Yekelchyk, University of Victoria
Putin’s regime has offered different pretexts for invading Ukraine: NATO expansion, Ukraine’s “neo-Nazi government,” and an alleged genocide against ethnic Russians in Donbas. These false claims are grounded in a narrative of the so-called “historical unity” between Russians and Ukrainians and Ukraine’s supposed failure to uphold the Minsk agreements. This presentation examines these narratives alongside the real motivations behind the Russian aggression. Key factors include diverging political and social trajectories in Russia and Ukraine, conflicting views of the Soviet past, and the distorted perception of Ukraine shared by Putinist elites and ordinary Russians. The war’s deeper objectives were unattainable from the outset.
Chair: Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, University of Alberta
Round table: Building Academic Resilience: The Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies
Session 4: Round Table: Building Academic Resilience: The Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies
With Olga Budnyk, Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, Oleksandr Pankieiev, and Serhy Yekelchyk.
Two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in the summer of 2024 Ukraine launched a new initiative titled “Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies.” Its aim is to pursue two goals: first, to unite foreign researchers focused on Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar cultures, history, languages, and literatures; and second, to create a shared platform for the development of Ukrainian studies on an international level. During this round table, conceived as a dialogue between Ukraine’s and Canada’s experts in Ukrainian studies, scholars will discuss the importance of this initiative for the academic field in the context of ongoing disinformation campaigns. How can the Coalition’s goals and aspirations support international Ukrainian studies scholarship? How can Ukraine collaborate with long-established centres of Ukrainian studies around the world to mobilize and promote knowledge about Ukraine to international audiences in the context of ongoing propaganda wars?
Session 4: Fact-Checking, Digital Warfare, and AI in Russia’s Information War
“Digital Battleground: An Examination of Anti-Refugee Discourse on Twitter”
Philip Mai, Toronto Metropolitan University
Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II. This study examines anti-refugee discourse about Ukrainian refugees on X, focusing on toxic posts. Our analysis shows that politically motivated and partisan content was most common, followed by posts countering anti-refugee narratives. Over half echoed pro-Kremlin narratives, leveraging anti-refugee sentiments to weaken support for Ukrainian refugees, minimize the war’s severity, and erode international solidarity. These findings reveal the polarization of the online refugee discourse and the strategic use of divisive narratives to influence public opinion.
Session 4 Q&A
Fact Checking, Digital Warfare, and AI in Russia’s Information War
Presenters: Philip Mai, Viktoriia Romaniuk
Chair: Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, University of Alberta
“Fact-Checking in Times of War: How StopFake is Redefining the Rules of Information Warfare”
Viktoriia Romaniuk, Mohyla School of Journalism at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
Formally, Russia does not have a cyber strategy or a cyber command. Notwithstanding, Russia is a cyber power, it conducts cyber operations, and it needs a cyber defence. Its thinking on cyber issues is part of its overall information strategy as well as its military thinking. Cyber preparations played an integral part of its invasion of Ukraine. Today, similarly to how it is learning on the battlefield, Russia is starting to incorporate its experience in the cyber domain during its war against Ukraine into its thinking on future conflicts.
Full Session Recording
Session 4: Fact-Checking, Digital Warfare, and AI in Russia’s Information War
Presenters: Philip Mai, Viktoriia Romaniuk
Chair: Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, University of Alberta
Session 5: Russian Narratives in the War Against Ukraine
“How to Conquer and Surrender Cities with the “Russian World” Idea: The Case of Odesa, Ukraine”
Nataliia Steblyna, Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University
In the 21st century, the “Novorossiya” narrative was revived in Steppe Ukraine and Odesa was claimed to be a “Russian city.” As far as this fake narrative is used to justify Russia’s war against Ukraine, it is important to study its origins as well as its modern transformation and influence. To fulfil this aim, Russian and Ukrainian media were studied, including “Russian World” narratives and Ukrainian counternarratives since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Session 5 Q&A
Russian Narratives in the War Against Ukraine
Presenters: Roman Osadchuk, Nataliia Steblyna
Chair: Andrea Kopylech, University of Alberta
“Russian Disinformation Campaigns Against Ukraine During the Full-Scale Invasion”
Roman Osadchuk, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
This presentation will examine the tactics, techniques, and approaches Russia has taken in its war against Ukraine on social media platforms, based on empirical research and leaked internal documents of Russian actors. It will discuss the causes that forced Russia to adapt to the new reality and demonstrate how disinformation campaigns evolved since the full-scale invasion. Additionally, it will aggregate and demonstrate the main topics and narratives used in those messages to undermine Ukraine’s will to resist, to create and amplify clashes within Ukrainian society, and to undermine Ukraine in the eyes of partners to cut the military and humanitarian aid.
Full Session Recording
Session 5: Russian Narratives in the War Against Ukraine
Presenters: Roman Osadchuk, Nataliia Steblyna
Chair: Andrea Kopylech, University of Alberta
Round Table: Reporting on Ukraine: The Role of Journalism in Countering Russian Propaganda
Concluding Round Table: Reporting on Ukraine: The Role of Journalism in Countering Russian Propaganda | Russo-Ukrainian War International Conference
With: Adam Zivo, James Gatica Matheson, Marta Dyczok, Viktoriia Romaniuk, Oleksandr Pankieiev, Justin Ling.
Chair: Oleksandr Pankieiev, University of Alberta
Amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, journalists face an unprecedented challenge in reporting the truth while countering widespread disinformation. This round table brings together leading journalists, media analysts, and researchers to examine the role of journalism in resisting Russian propaganda, ensuring accurate reporting, and fostering media literacy.
Closing Remarks
Closing remarks
International Conference: The Russo-Ukrainian War: Russia’s information warfare strategies in comparative perspective
With Oleksandr Pankieiev, Natalia Khanenko-Friesen and Andrea Kopylech.
22nd February, 2025, Ottawa, Canada.