Ukraine continues to be invaded by Russia.
The battlefield is not the only place where fierce battles are taking place.
The Ukrainian side, which is inferior in military power, is fighting for advantage in cyberspace.
He makes full use of SNS to have international public opinion on his side.
Move other countries to strengthen sanctions and provide military assistance.
Get closer to the reality of the war in the 21st century.
Looking for Internet Army
"If you stop fighting, whether it's a smartphone or a gun, the country will be destroyed,"
said Valentina Axonova, an information warfare adviser to the Ukrainian government.
Russia and Ukraine are engaged in an information warfare of unprecedented scale.
In particular, the Ukrainian side is fighting all over the country, from President Zelensky to the military and the people.
Only four days after the start of the Russian military invasion, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information posted a post on social media Telegram.
"Many people are asking themselves,'How can I help myself if I don't shoot a gun?' If you can access the internet, please join the'Internet Army'.
" Named "Internet Army ."
It was a recruitment of volunteers.
About 300,000 people responded to the call.
What is Ukraine's SNS information warfare strategy?
The "Internet Army" receives specific and detailed instructions every day.
To influence international public opinion, write a lot.
One day, a post instructed members of the US Parliament's Military Commission to send a message to encourage the United States to donate weapons.
In addition to the SNS links of lawmakers, there are also photo materials that can be used for posting, and English example sentences for posting for those who can not speak English.
Volunteers are writing a lot in response to these instructions.
"Provide an air defense system to save our lives."
Many words were written on the SNS of the targeted American lawmakers as instructed by the Ukrainian government.
The target of writing includes companies that continue to do business in Russia.
Coca-Cola, which was targeted by the government, and Nestle's SNS, a major food maker, also had a large number of posts calling for withdrawal from Russia.
Nestlé has received international criticism and has been forced to shrink its business and announce donations of profits.
What is an "unsatisfying" tactic?
Outgoing is not limited to writing on SNS.
One of the "Internet Army", video creator Sergei Vaux, and others continue to use their skills to send videos.
It effectively edits the images of the moment when a Russian missile lands and the state of the changing city, and sends a message with English narration.
Voke and his colleagues are afraid that Ukrainian news will be "sick" by the international community and people will lose interest.
He is worried that support may be cut off if interest is lost.
Sergei Vaux
"As we are featured in the news every day, we make it so that people around the world want to tell people who watched it like a movie to share it with others so that they will not forget Ukraine. I want to play a role like an "interpreter" who can properly convey the seriousness of the situation. "
What are the instructions for advanced users?
It directs people with hacking knowledge to target the Russian government and infrastructure.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has disclosed detailed personal information such as the names, dates of birth, and passport numbers of about 2,000 Russian soldiers and others, alleging that they have brutally killed many civilians in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv.
It is said that it is for the pursuit of responsibility.
The New York Times, a leading American newspaper, said the credibility of this information could not be confirmed and said it could be part of a cyberattack.
Is the conversation with the family an information warfare?
Ukrainian information warfare is directed not only to the international community but also to Russia.
This is because many people in Russia believe in the government's propaganda, which claims that the video that conveys the tragedy in Ukraine is "doing".
This March, the audio posted on the Internet attracted a lot of attention.
It was a recording of a conversation between a father living in Russia and a son living in Ukraine.
In Ukraine and Russia, which are historically closely related, there are many cases where families live across both countries.
Son:
Do you really believe that "in Ukraine the Nazis are oppressing Russian-speaking people"?
Father: In
Ukraine, young people are taught to hate Russia
Son:
It's wrong that my father doesn't believe his story.
Ukrainian Misha Katulin, who posted this voice, responded to the interview. rice field.
"My 58-year-old father doesn't use the internet, so Russian
state television and newspapers are all sources. I'm a victim of a military invasion, but my father is a victim of propaganda."
By telling, it puts pressure on the Russian government to stop the attack.
Katsulin has launched a website to guide how to communicate with families who believe in propaganda.
The advice is concrete.
Don't do it:
"Don't say'I don't know'"
(because the other person doesn't have the ear to hear)
"Don't get angry and cut off the conversation"
(even if you can't convince them once, they call I think about the other person's words repeatedly even after I cut the call)
Misha Katulin
"We need to replace our (Russian) state media with their television and radio. We will continue to communicate with our families and resist Russian propaganda."
But can't the attack be stopped in the information warfare?
Many experts say that Ukraine overwhelms Russia in information warfare.
The leader in information warfare using SNS points out as follows.
Peter E. Singer
"Ukraine has already won, not the information warfare that spreads their message. It is no longer possible for the Russian side to put out their message."
However, even if the information warfare is won, the attack by the Russian army cannot be stopped, and the situation where many civilians are sacrificed has not changed.
Then, what is the meaning of information warfare?
It is said that information warfare has a great influence not only on cyberspace but also on the real world.
Peter E. Singer
"Information warfare in war is tied to diplomacy and the international economy. Unprecedented levels of military support and sanctions would not have been possible without the victory of information warfare."
Why is Russia holding hands?
Russia is known as an information warfare country.
Russia is also good at public opinion manipulation, such as intervening in the 2016 US presidential election and spreading a large amount of misinformation using fake accounts to make it difficult to understand what is true.
Nevertheless, why are you inferior?
The premise is that Russia is unilaterally launching a military invasion, which makes it difficult to justify, and while there are a lot of images that can be said to be evidence of a cruel attack that does not hesitate to sacrifice civilians, the Russian side It's hard to make the point.
In addition, Jake Williams, who was in charge of cyber warfare at the US NSA = National Security Agency, was not fully prepared for information warfare because Russia could conquer Ukraine in a short period of time. I am analyzing that it may be.
Jake Williams
"Russia is one of the most prominent countries in the world in cyber warfare, and Ukraine was even unknown. It suddenly jumped out as a winner. Countries around the world are watching how Ukraine fights information warfare. It must have been recorded. In the next conflict, there will be battles learned from the Ukrainian way of fighting. "
"This battle is not just a problem for Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine is fighting for democracy and freedom throughout the world."
-The message that the Ukrainian government is now pushing all over.
Mr. Axonova of the Ukrainian Government
"I want the Western countries to continue to support our fight. I understand that it is important to continue to support Ukraine because Ukraine is fighting for democracy in the world. I have to get it. "
"The first victim of war = truth"
Since various propagandas fly around in the war, it is not uncommon for the facts to be lost.
This is because it is said that "the first victim of war is the truth."
The movements of the Russian army are analyzed in detail by the governments of Western countries and think tanks, and private companies have also released satellite images showing the placement of troops.
On the other hand, information on the Ukrainian army is limited, including the damage situation.
It seems that this is because the Western countries that support Ukraine do not disclose it so as not to be disadvantageous in battle, and it is clear that the information circulating is intentionally controlled.
Furthermore, SNS information spreads in a blink of an eye regardless of whether it is true or not.
A lot of information of unknown authenticity and information that is conveniently cut out from both Russia and Ukraine are coming out.
Who sent the information and for what purpose?
We too are in the midst of information warfare.
(Kouhei Tsuji, Washington Bureau)