Russia is intensifying its information war not only against Ukraine but also against the West – Kovalenko

Russia is scaling up its information-psychological operations not only to pressure Ukraine but also to influence Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and Asia. The main target of the Kremlin is NATO countries, where the propaganda is aimed at dividing the European Union, discrediting the Alliance, and creating internal conflicts.

This was reported by Andriy Kovalenko, Head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

According to him, Russia is unable to win in the information space against Ukraine, so it is shifting its focus to the West.

Five key directions of Russian information warfare:

Dividing the EU and supporting Euroskeptics. The Kremlin seeks to deepen contradictions within the European Union by supporting political forces that aim for the nationalization of their countries' foreign policies. The goal is to weaken the EU, increase its dependency on Russian resources, and further disintegrate the Union.

Undermining trust in NATO. Russia aims to undermine institutional trust in the Alliance and spread messages about "neighborly" relations with Moscow. This is intended to ease possible military scenarios by Russia against the Baltic states in the next 4-6 years.

Discrediting Ukraine. Russia actively spreads negative narratives about Ukraine, trying to erode the level of support for Kyiv from Europe.

Exacerbating political divisions in the United States. The Kremlin attempts to intensify contradictions in American society and undermine trust in U.S. government institutions.

Manipulations in the Middle East and Asia. Russia promotes its own agenda to prevent energy prices from falling and to create alternative geopolitical alliances opposed to the West.

According to Kovalenko, measures to counter Russian propaganda should become the foundation of NATO and European security in the next 5-10 years.

He emphasizes that Russian military propaganda has long been working against Europe and the West, and the collective response is still insufficiently active. He states that the situation requires more decisive actions.

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