Russian Information Research Articles

Особливості впливу інформаційної агресії на різні категорії населення

The article states that the impact of russia’s information aggression against Ukraine is multi-level and includes many factors aimed at weakening Ukraine in political, military, economic, informational, social and other aspects. Human psyche and consciousness, as well as collective and mass consciousness, are considered as the main channel of such influence. It is emphasized that information influence, on the one hand, is characterized by global reach, and on the other hand, it can be differentiated in terms of content, style and forms depending on the target audience. Within the framework of the appropriate approach, the differentiation of the impact of russian information aggression on the population, proposed by the National Institute of Strategic Studies, is presented: the influence on the population of the russian federation itself, the influence on the population of the annexed, temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the territories that are directly in the war zone; the influence on the population of Ukraine as a whole; the influence on the population of other countries, international organizations, and the world community. The specifics of the influence of information aggression on society are also determined, based on the theory of algorithms; in the context of cognitive, gender and other approaches. It is noted that the segmentation of the information aggression influence on different categories of the population can be based on different approaches, taking into account such parameters as age, social status, gender, level of education, geographical indicators, belonging to social or political groups, etc.

“Политическая война” 2.0 (США vs Россия – на пороге перемен)

The article reflects on the political war between the United States and Russia that started in 2022 with the launch of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. The author compares those events to the political war that occurred between the U.S. and the USSR in the 20th century, concluding that once again the American side has chosen to begin with a reactive and defensive approach to the conflict. This approach is primarily aimed at safeguarding the American population (as well as the population of American allies) from Russian influence. In order to achieve that, American public diplomacy institutes (key actors in terms of waging war for the people’s minds and hearts) focused on deconstructing Russian narratives and discrediting Russian information sources. At the same time, the ability of Russian public diplomacy institutes and media to reach Western audiences was paralysed by sanctions and other restrictions. However, the purpose of building resilient defenses to protect American public from foreign influence was mostly achieved through the system of governmental control over the internal information space. This system connects governmental structures responsible for countering disinformation with tech companies and leading social media, and thus allows censorship of every topic coming from any source if deemed concerning national security. After safeguarding the internal information space, in 2024, the United States moved towards extending the defensive approach to political war towards allies, aiming at building the same resilient defenses for their publics. Meanwhile, during the past years, the American public diplomacy, which suffered from atrophy, underfunding and lack of leadership since the end of the Cold War, was being reformed in a way that enhances its effectiveness, strengthens capabilities for dealing with target audiences and integrates a more politically oriented approach. Thus, while ensuring the protection of its population from the adversary’s influence, the U.S. have also been upgrading its arsenal of effective instruments required for political war and effective influencing of foreign public opinion. Bearing in mind the previous experience of political war between the two states, the author concludes that after securing the information space of allies and completing the modernization of public diplomacy capabilities, the Washington is likely to move from defensive to offensive tactic in political warfare. Moreover, those offensive and proactive actions will be most likely realized collectively, together with allies. A theoretical basis for such an approach is being currently developed through the emergence of “reputational security” concept in American expert discourse. This concept not only elevates the issues of reputation (of the states, democracy, liberal values) to the category of national security issues, but also pushes for collective action in terms of protecting one’s own reputation and undermining the reputation of an adversary.

Relative Clause Processing and Attachment Resolution across Languages: Tatar–Russian–English Trilinguals

The study investigates psycholinguistic mechanisms of sentence parsing and ambiguity resolution by balanced Tatar–Russian bilinguals who learnt English as their additional language. We check the parser’s sensitivity to the selectional properties of the matrix verb and/or social conventions in processing and attachment resolution of ambiguous relative clauses (RCs). We chose English and Russian because they have a documented preference for low attachment (LA) and high attachment (HA), respectively, and Tatar, as we have found out in earlier work, has no attachment ambiguity. We conducted a self-paced reading task in English and Russian which returned 61% HA in Russian, 49% HA in English. It was followed by a pen-and-paper translation task. The translation post-test checked whether an attachment preference demonstrated in either English or Russian showed in RC translations into Tatar. The results return an 80% preference for LA in English–Tatar translations and 61% in Russian–Tatar translations. Both syntactic information and world knowledge influence online RC processing in Russian and English. Therefore, the multilingual parser incorporates information from multiple sources in either L1 or Ln processing. The parser may favor LA as a default parsing option while maintaining sensitivity to individual grammars (Russian), where this preference should be overridden.

Vinnytsia as a Volunteer Hub: The Citizens’ Self-Organization in the Conditions of a Large-Scale Russian Invasion

The article is based on the interviews recorded by the authoress during September-December, 2023. The volunteer movement as a socio-political and cultural phenomenon is investigated. The interviews have been conducted in Vinnytsia and agglomeration. Vinnytsia has already turned into a volunteer hub in the first days of the full-scale invasion. Aggressive war tactics and the general Ukrainophobic narrative in the Russian information space have increased the pro-Ukrainian percentage of Ukrainian citizens who treated the Russian Federation and its inhabitants, if not positively, then at least loyally, before the full-scale invasion of the Russians. Therefore, the percentage of Vinnytsia citizens, involved in certain types of volunteer movement is increasing steadily. The citizens are attracted to volunteer initiatives through information announcements on Internet platforms and even published in places of mass gathering of people. Private volunteer initiatives of ordinary city rezidents become significant and more eloquent. Not having the financial capabilities as large businesses, private ideas are focused on the following types of volunteer activities: the collection of donations for the needs of the military through charitable auctions; weaving camouflage nets, sewing kikimores and textile; formation of product kits; production of Hindenburg lights and matches; knitting warm things (primarily socks). Wide coverage of volunteer initiatives and the results of their implementation in the media attracts a larger number of citizens to volunteer movement, crystallizing and strengthening the foundation of civil society with pan-European democratic values. Public activists and volunteers have become the embodiment of moral virtues and a vector of value orientations in Ukrainian society in less than two years of large-scale military operations. A sense of involvement in the country’s defense through a volunteer movement consolidates the nation and to some extent contributes to the processes of self-identification. Today the volunteer movement in Ukraine is a new reality of modern everyday life of Ukrainians in the conditions of war.

Fake news jako front wojny w Ukrainie

The present article analyzes the problem of Russian information aggression in the war against Ukraine, gives examples of dissemination of false information. Attention is also focused on the structure of fake news and the main currents of disinformation messages. The methods used to disseminate fake news and their impact on audiences are also analyzed.

Опозиція «свій-чужий» як парадигма конструювання соціокультурної ідентичності: совєтсько-російські контексти

The purpose of the article is an attempt to illustrate the opposition "own-alien" as the basic paradigm of the formation of both Soviet and modern Russian socio-cultural identity that especially become relevant against the background of the full-scale Russian incursion to Ukraine and the strengthening of bipolar attitudes in world geopolitics. The methodology of the research is based on the combination of general scientific and interdisciplinary methodological tools. In particular, observation, questionnaires, narrative interview, statistical analysis, content analysis, cross-cultural and sociocultural analysis, the theory of generations by V. Strauss and N. Houwa, the theory of post-materialism by R. Inglehart, the primordialist, constructivist and instrumentalist concept of ethnicity, etc. It is primarily about the need to free ourselves from the dichotomous theoretical-methodological approach characteristic of the Soviet and partly post-Soviet socio-scientific discourse.The scientific novelty of the work consists in summarizing scientific works and the results of multi-year field studies on this problem. Also, through the prism of comparing the peculiarities of the construction of Soviet and modern Russian identity in the paradigm of "self-alien" to consider the potential risks for the further formation of Ukrainian socio-cultural identity. Conclusions. The relevance of the outlined topic is important in both scientific and social discourses. Russian propaganda in the occupied territories seeks to change the socio-cultural identity, above all, of the young generation, imposing a bipolar worldview on them. And for the older generations – resuscitates the "Soviet" way of life. A comparative analysis of the Soviet and Putin's ideological systems will highlight the ways and tools of resistance to the Russian information and psychological operation.

CENSORSHIP AND PRESS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURIES IN MODERN RUSSIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY

The paper provides a historiographical analysis of the points of view by modern Russian researchers on the development of censorship and press in Russia in the second half of the XIX - early XX century. The paper notes that there was no consensus among Russian researchers on the transformation of the domestic information sphere during this period. The studies of Russian historians have a very ambiguous assessment of its potential and the results of its development. The paper concludes that the works of modern Russian historians do not completely exhaust the topic of socio-cultural modernization in the field of censorship and press of the late Imperial era. Therefore, the development of Russian information sphere in the aforementioned period needs further comprehensive research.

Developing the system of interconnected classifications: Comparing the State Rubricator of Sci-tech Information and Universal Decimal Classification

The authors discuss the findings of the study to compare relevant master versions of the State Rubricator of Sci-tech Information and Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) in Russian. The classifications are compared through the method of intellectual analysis of intrinsic and semantic characteristics of SRSTI subject headings and UDC main schedules and its general and special subdivision tables. The UDC compound numbers are assigned to over the half of all rubrication vertexes. Over one third of SRSTI headings are assigned the compound UDC numbers made of two+ simple or compound numbers. The semantic matches between SRSTI headings and assigned UDC numbers are established as logical match, inclusion or extension overlapping with provision for terminological, structural and semantic features of the classifications being compared, as well as of the substance of the subject areas and their indexing principles. The interreflection of SRSTI and UDC numbers is executed in three types of relations: equivalence, hierarchy, association. Based on the analysis of coefficients of distribution by types of relations between semantic SRSTI headings and UDC numbers, the conclusion is made on the relatively high matching of terminology and structure of the given classification systems in almost every thematic class of subject areas. The value of the study is that the “converter” between SRSTI and UDC is to expand functionality of the interrelated classifications.Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology, within the framework of the Government Order No. 075-01235-23-01, R&D theme No. 1021070112681-2-1.2.1;5.8.3, has been pursuing research for building the single network of links between classifications, development of “converters” between them for the purpose of computer-aided thematic systematization, and integration of dispersed information resources. The State Rubricator of Scientific and Technical Information (SRSTI) is the core classification of the unified networked classification links.

Education of Ukrainian children in Poland - basic information

Aim. The aim of the study was to attempt to familiarise the subject of the systemic and local solutions introduced in Poland in order to minimise problems related to the admission of Ukrainian children to educational institutions.
 Concept. The study reviewed the legal acts and recommendations of the Ombudsman concerning the education of children, mainly Ukrainian, in Polish schools.
 Results and conclusions. The inclusion of a large number of Ukrainian children in the Polish educational system required the cooperation of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, school boards, non-governmental organisations and local authorities, as well as teachers and educators themselves. In response to the difficulties, the Polish Ombudsman recommended simplifying the process of recruiting teachers and cultural assistants from Ukraine to Polish educational institutions. International classes were created and anti-discrimination and multicultural education was implemented to integrate refugees especially during distance learning. The Ministry of Education immediately responded to all recommendations with concrete actions, including planning multicultural classrooms. In addition, alternative options were suggested, such as the establishment of new educational institutions based on the Ukrainian system and the provision of remote education as an alternative to enrolling students directly in preparatory or mainstream classes. The importance of developing information in Ukrainian and Russian, such as enrolment details and electronic diary information (recommendations of the Polish Ombudsman), was also highlighted (RPO-rekomendacje (2022).
 Cognitive value. The work makes it possible to become familiar with the wide range of activities undertaken for the admission of children, mainly Ukrainian, to Polish educational institutions. It provides an opportunity to identify the problem of adjusting the Polish educational system to the reception of a large number of refugees in a short period of time.

Methods of Russian information propaganda and their influence on the image of Ukraine in the world

This article is devoted to the definition and analysis of the main methods of Russian information propaganda and the study of their real impact on creating a negative image of Ukraine in the international community.
 Analysis of the foreign press showed that the Western information space is a mixture of professional research, falsifications, propaganda, open manipulation and primitive claims. It is important to note that today there is a fairly large number of foreign publications which, while supporting the Putin regime, still consider Ukraine and Russia as inseparable objects and which almost always publish negative materials about Ukraine and its people. Such sources include some information resources of Serbia, France, Turkey, etc.
 Western observers can obtain more objective and truthful information from official representatives of the state, diplomats, and from influential world publications that provide high-quality analytics and expert opinions. Through the websites of organizations that provide analytical and statistical materials. Also, well-known bloggers, openly declaring their political preferences and support, can shape the opinion of some people.
 Among the main information methods used by Russia in the fight against Ukraine are the manipulation of history and current events, the distortion of historical facts and contemporary events, the creation of a negative identity of Ukraine in the eyes of the international public, speculation on facts, the production of fake news, etc.
 In general, the spread of Russian propaganda about Ukraine has a negative impact on its perception in the world. And this, in turn, can create significant obstacles to the preservation and support of Ukraine's sovereignty, as well as its international integration. To combat this phenomenon, it is important to continue to strengthen international cooperation in the field of information security and to openly highlight facts and truthful information about Ukraine.

Priorities of interdepartmental coordination of government authorities in the development of the Russian segment of financial technologies

Subject. The article addresses issues of globalization of the financial services market and Russia's integration into international financial institutions. Objectives. The purpose is to analyze the impact of international sanctions on the development of financial technologies in Russia, search for forms of Russia's participation in the global process of financial sector digitalization. Methods. The study employs general scientific methods of research. Results. The paper offers forms of Russia's participation in the activities of international financial institutions that neither contradict the protection of the country's national interests nor impede the development of integration within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union and other structures, where Russia plays an important role. Conclusions. The findings can be considered when drafting proposals for the development of infrastructure projects, strengthening Russia's information security.

Possible Ways to Search for Scientific Information in New Realities

The paper reviewed the opportunities of various online products and services for searching for scientific information in the changed modern reality caused by the sanctions policy of a number of countries to Russia. Proprietary systems that stay on in Russia are characterized, as well as open access resources that allow receiving scientific, bibliometric, bibliographic and factual information. In addition, a list of Russian information products and scientific information search systems is presented. The resource data is supported by real examples describing the results obtained. All system and product names supported by URLs. The article is informational and does not aim to present the full radius of open and proprietary systems currently present online. The article shows various ways of information search by both ordinary users and specialists in the scientific and technical information sphere.

NEREL: a Russian information extraction dataset with rich annotation for nested entities, relations, and wikidata entity links

NEREL: a Russian information extraction dataset with rich annotation for nested entities, relations, and wikidata entity links

Fabricating a war? Russian (dis)information on Ukraine

Abstract Propaganda has been an age-old part of warmongering. It is thus no surprise that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was preceded by, and continues to be fuelled by, propaganda transmitted by state-controlled Russian media. What is more unusual about the Russian (dis)information campaigns is the sheer volume of distorted narratives or complete fictional accounts about the conflict. This article explores the content and technologies of Russian information manipulation of domestic audiences in the context of the invasion of Ukraine. We also examine the bases for the sustained robust public support for the war within Russia during the first 12 months of the conflict, despite being based on mostly fabricated (dis)information. Relying on political psychology and communication theory we explain how emotions and associative memories have played an important role in the Russian public's sustained approval to the war. Our findings point to that in the absence of contrasted and independently-verified information, the volume, frequency, emotional intensity of slick, plug-and-play media packages on Ukraine have acted to displace and distort the average Russian's associative social monitoring processes.

OVERCOMING THE INFLUENCE OF RUSSIAN INFORMATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS ON THE FORMATION OF A NEGATIVE PERCEPTION OF NATO AMONG THE POPULATION OF UKRAINE

In this study, the Russian information and subversive activity for many years in Ukraine was analyzed, the purpose of which was and is the formation of a negative perception among the population of the opinion regarding Ukraine's membership in NATO. The main process of implementation of these information campaigns, as well as psychological methods of influence on different segments of the population, were followed. Analyzing the facts of the Russian information war against Ukraine, after gaining independence in 1991, it can be observed that all subversive tasks, such as informational, economic, energy, and since 2014, the military, had the ultimate goal of preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has opened up new challenges for us in detecting Russian IPSO. The ongoing war for the free future of Ukraine, which cannot be realized in the established geopolitical realities without joining NATO, presents us with the task of quickly reacting and countering information attacks, which, as observations show, have moved to a more sophisticated level, which in the conditions of a full-scale war are the same as dangerous as massive rocket fire. Taking into account all the factors that affect the issue of this topic, we will try to consider in detail each period of information attacks starting with Ukraine's independence, and we will also pay special attention to the work of the Russian IPSO from February 24, 2022. The main goals of this study are to comprehensively disclose the facts of the activities of the Russian units of information and psychological special operations with the aim of comprehensively distorting reality, and forming a false opinion among the population regarding relations between Ukraine and NATO. The main topic of Russian propaganda before a full-scale invasion was the thesis about the so-called «NATO on the doorstep», that the allegedly aggressive bloc has approached the borders of the Russian, and from day to day it must attack, using Ukraine, which is not yet a member of the alliance, as a springboard for subsequent «aggression». After the direct attack, the Russian IPSO began to develop a narrative about «cowardly NATO», that the alliance was afraid and would never openly enter the war on the side of Ukraine, and also forming a false opinion among the population of Ukraine that it did not need such an alliance, but that it was «better» to accept non-aligned status and illusory security guarantees, which, as reality shows, are largely worthless. The ultimate goal of this study is to prove that there is no alternative for Ukraine to join NATO, as the only guarantee of existence as an independent state.

Reflexive Control as a Risk Factor for Using OSINT: Insights from the Russia–Ukraine Conflict

Special governmental services, security services of leading companies, and private researchers rely on open-source intelligence (OSINT). With the development of the Internet and social networks, open-data intelligence is increasingly turning from a subtle art into a “mechanical” process—the more data, the better. OSINT professionals’ competence enables verification of information and minimizes the chances of deception unless the intention of the investigation and the data’s locale are previously known to their adversary. In this very case, the hunter can get into a trap dexterously rigged by an adversary. This article discusses the risks of disinformation through open sources in the context of the Soviet concept of “reflexive control”; that is, imposing unfavorable decisions on the enemy through the introduction of incorrect premises, exemplified by the experience of the Russian–Ukrainian conflict since 2014. The article evaluates the influence exerted on the governmental and military decisions by disinformation through open sources, examining several reported cases. Systematization of data on previous attempts at reflexive control, such as Russian information operations, can increase the accuracy of assessing the depth of an enemies’ reflexion, which helps to reveal their operational plans and predict further actions because disinformation often precedes other forms of aggression.

АНАЛИЗ РОСТА КИБЕРАТАК И РЫНКА ИНФОРМАЦИОННОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ РФ

The IT sphere is progressing without stopping, which is why information security employees have to regularly progress along with all software updates to maximize the effectiveness of ensuring the security of the company in which they work. To do this, companies need to hire a qualified information security officer who will train staff to "properly" use a computer, will regularly update software, install new ones and will be able to withstand attacks by intruders in real time. In 2022, the Russian segment was attacked by foreign hackers, which led to big problems for all sectors of the country. Companies and even government agencies had to resist constant attacks. Currently, there is a transition to domestic software, which makes the situation easier. Also, in 2022-2023, a large amount of funds was allocated for the development of new software and the fight against intruders. In this article, some types of attacks on companies were considered, the most relevant, 0-day, which information is more interested in attackers, which industries were attacked and how. How all these changes affected the Russian information security market and forecasts for the future.

STATE INDUSTRY POLICY IN THE FIELD OF IMPORT SUBSTITUTION OF INFORMATION PRODUCTS AT AVIATION INDUSTRY ENTERPRISES

In the research article, the authors consider the main proposals for the implementation of the state sectoral policy in the field of import substitution of information technologies and systems (ITiS) at high-tech enterprises in the aircraft industry in modern innovative and financial conditions. For this, the main features of aircraft manufacturing enterprises that are part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) were considered from the point of view of automating their typical business processes, where the implementation of the state industry policy in the field of import substitution is supposed to be implemented. The authors carried out an organizational and economic analysis of the Russian ITiS market, as well as formulated the main measures and procedures that should be implemented at high-tech aircraft manufacturing enterprises within the framework of the state sectoral policy in the field of import substitution. The article also considers an example of the implementation of the Russian information system in the development of a project for the automation of production accounting at the head enterprise of the UAC as part of the implementation of this policy.
 Purpose – determination of methods and techniques for automating typical business processes of aircraft manufacturing enterprises through the use of domestic information technologies and systems as part of the implementation of the state industry policy in the field of import substitution of information and communication technologies.
 Methodology. The article used methods of empirical research, information-logical and expert methods, as well as methods of analogy and comparison.
 Results. The most informative parameters were obtained, showing the economic feasibility and effectiveness of the introduction of domestic information technologies and systems at aircraft manufacturing enterprises as part of the implementation of the state sectoral policy in the field of import substitution of information and communication technologies.
 Practical implications. The obtained results should be applied not only at the enterprises of the UAC aircraft industry, but also at the enterprises of other high-tech industries of the State Corporation Rostec, where automation of the main standard business processes is an important component of their further development.

A look at the prospects for the development of the market of domestic information security solutions

We are in a state where the information security industry of all economic entities and authorities of our country has faced enormous challenges. We are forced to resist foreign hacker groups and protect our digital economy from their attacks. I am convinced that in the end we will cope, and the domestic information security industry will come out of this confrontation much stronger and more stable. The article provides a forecast for the accelerated development of Russian information security solutions, and substantiates the assumption that the basis of this development will be the maximum use of artificial intelligence.

A State-of-the-art of Scientific Research on Disinformation

Technological advancements in information and communications technologies and related hardware and software have positively transformed the political, military, economic and social domains in all countries around the globe. These technologies are imperfect, and States and state-sponsored threat actors are exploiting flaws in hardware and software for various types of attacks. Furthermore, the same threat actors exploit software technologies to spread disinformation and disseminate false information to mislead public opinion. This research article reviews the discourse of the scientific community on disinformation. The purpose is to understand where the research focus lies and who the researchers are the co-authors, and the publication venues. This research article reviews the scientific literature using the computational literature review, a semi-automated review method and the structural topical modelling framework to understand trends in the research. Of 3 097 documents published in 1 700 publication venues between 1974 to 2022, 704 were analysed. The results reveal 46 topics on issues such as rumours and disinformation spread during the Covid-19 pandemic, Soviet and Russian Information Warfare, and Trolls and health-related themes and effects.