The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security began work in Ukraine.

This was announced by the Ukrainian Minister of Culture Alexander Tkachenko during a press conference.

“The long-discussed topic regarding the creation of such a center has finally begun its implementation.

The center under the ICIP (Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. -

RT

) will cooperate with Ukrinform (Ukrainian media. - 

RT

), will also be in constant communication with the NSDC, with the corresponding center there, as well as with international centers existing in the countries Baltic States, Czech Republic, Finland and Brussels, ”the minister said.

Censorship tool

According to Tkachenko, Ukraine has felt the influence of disinformation and manipulation allegedly launched by the Russian side.

The minister recalled that in modern conditions, information constantly surrounds each person thanks to smartphones and the Internet.

“On the one hand, this is a very strong advantage, but on the other hand, we understand, especially recently, that this carries serious dangers.

Especially when it comes to national security, information security, ”added Tkachenko.

  • Minister of Culture of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko

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  • © Hennadii Minchenkoukrinform / Keystone Press Agency

The press conference was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Culture Taras Shevchenko and the head of the created center Lyubov Tsybulskaya, who stated that the organization's goal would be to increase the resilience of society to “hybrid information influences”.

According to her, the center will be able to "promote Ukrainian state proactive narratives, as well as actively cooperate with civil society and international partners."

“We will offer the government a mechanism for responding on a daily basis, as well as informing the population about the success of the state,” said the head of the center.

Particular attention is planned to be paid to "countering disinformation."

In particular, a website will be created, where "the most important developments of the public sector", as well as "films about the Russian-Ukrainian war" will be presented.

“We want a single base of the Russian military presence to be part of this resource,” added Tsybulskaya.

The center will operate in the internal political field of Ukraine as well.

“We plan to communicate in a communication manner the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council regarding the activity of agents of influence in Russia,” the head of the organization said.

The decree enacting the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the creation of the Center for Countering Disinformation was signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 19.

As Igor Zhovkva, deputy head of Volodymyr Zelensky's office, said earlier, in preparation for the opening of the Information Security Center, the Ukrainian authorities studied the experience of NATO and the European Union.

According to the official, the creation of the center indicates that Ukraine is at the forefront of the fight against propaganda and disinformation.

“Such a center should have been created at least in 2014, when the information war began along with the hybrid one,” said a representative of the presidential administration, speaking earlier at the Ukraine 30. Culture, Media, Tourism All-Ukrainian Forum.

According to experts, the real goal of the organization created by Kiev will be the imposition of censorship in the country.

This opinion was expressed in an interview with RT by the president of the Ukrainian Analytical Center, Alexander Okhrimenko.

“The initiative of the authorities is aimed at introducing censorship in the country.

If a publication is labeled by the center as fake, then sanctions will be applied to such media through the NSDC.

As has already happened with three TV channels, ”the expert noted.

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  • © Pavlo Gonchar / Keystone Press Agency

Let us remind you that at the beginning of February three large Ukrainian TV channels - 112 Ukraine, ZIK and NEWSONE - stopped broadcasting.

Their blocking was a consequence of the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on sanctions against a number of legal entities and the deputy of the Rada from the party of the PLZH Taras Kozak.

The politician owns the Novosti media holding, which includes television channels closed by the authorities' decision.

However, as President Zelensky said, in this case, we are not talking about censorship, but about protecting national interests.

The allegedly closed television channels were engaged in misleading Ukrainians on issues such as land reform, utility tariffs and the war in Donbass.

According to Okhrimenko, the creation of the center became part of the policy of Vladimir Zelensky to build a rigid vertical of power in the country.

“It looks like the center will become a structure that will suppress criticism of the authorities.

Most likely, the Ukrainian authorities were prompted to take such steps by a number of negative factors, such as the pandemic and the instability of the situation in Donbass.

The information that does not suit the authorities will now be declared "disinformation".

In general, we can say that Zelensky is now building rigid centralization in the country - Poroshenko tried to do this before him, but nothing worked, ”the expert added.

Imitation tactics

The idea of ​​creating the center belongs to Vladimir Zelensky.

In early March, the politician announced the launch of a structure to fight disinformation.

Speaking at the forum "Ukraine 30. Culture, Media, Tourism", the head of the Ukrainian state said that in the future the center should become "an international hub for countering disinformation and countering propaganda around the world."

At the same time, Ukraine is exposed to information attacks not only from the outside, but also from within, Zelensky said.

“These are artificially created so-called opinion leaders who know better from Spain how to live in Ukraine.

These are mass disinformation media that cover up sabotage under the instructions of the aggressor with freedom of speech, ”Zelensky listed the informational“ opponents ”of Ukraine.

  • President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky

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  • © Pavlo Gonchar / Keystone Press Agency

The Ukrainian authorities are also hatching the idea of ​​creating in Kiev the headquarters of an international structure to counter disinformation.

With such a proposal, Zelensky turned to the United Nations in September 2020.

The Ukrainian leader's statement was made during the general debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

According to Zelensky, disinformation can affect global markets, exchanges and electoral processes.

“Ukraine, as one of the countries that has been actively countering propaganda and information attacks since 2014, is ready to initiate the creation in Kiev of the headquarters of an international office to counter disinformation and propaganda,” the Ukrainian leader said at the time.

This idea was repeated in November 2020 by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba during a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Ernest Arauj.

Also, as part of the creation of the International Center for Countering Disinformation, Kiev would like to create an "online museum of Russian propaganda."

This was stated by the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture Alexander Tkachenko.

According to Boris Mezhuev, associate professor of the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, one of the goals of international initiatives in Kiev is to obtain additional foreign funding.

“The Ukrainian authorities hope to receive additional funds with the help of such projects.

And at the same time turn Kiev into an anti-Russian information outpost following the example of Lithuania, ”the expert explained in a comment to RT.

Boris Mezhuev believes that now Ukraine is striving to follow the example of Vilnius, which has become a base for the Russian opposition in the post-Soviet space, as well as an active participant in anti-Russian initiatives.

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  • © Sergei Chuzavkov / Keystone Press Agency

“In 2014, the Ukrainian authorities tried to imitate Poland, which often resorts to anti-Russian rhetoric.

However, now the tone of Warsaw on some issues has begun to diverge from Washington, which is the main sponsor of such a policy.

Therefore, now Kiev is trying to imitate Vilnius in its anti-Russian initiatives.

Undoubtedly, this trend is a challenge for Russia, ”the expert summed up.