INFORMATION RESILIENCE IN UKRAINE AND THE BALTIC SEA REGION

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of contemporary challenges to information security in Ukraine and the Baltic Sea region in the context of hybrid confrontation. It substantiates that information security has transformed into an independent strategic component of national and international security, while information influence has become an important instrument for destabilizing democratic societies. The study identifies the main forms of contemporary information threats, including disinformation, manipulative narratives, fake news, and technologies of information influence aimed at undermining public trust and intensifying political polarization.
The peculiarities of the Russian Federation’s use of information and psychological operations against Ukraine and the Baltic region states are analyzed. The article reveals the specific features of Russian disinformation narratives targeting Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Sweden, and outlines the key socio-political vulnerabilities exploited for destabilizing influence. It is demonstrated that a common feature of such information attacks is their focus on historical traumas, linguistic and cultural contradictions, and crises of public trust.
Special attention is paid to the concept of information resilience as a fundamental mechanism for countering hybrid threats. It is emphasized that the development of information resilience involves not only the state’s ability to respond to information attacks, but also the formation of long-term mechanisms for protecting the democratic information space. The necessity of a multi-level approach to ensuring information security is substantiated, encompassing cooperation among state institutions, security structures, civil society, educational programs, and strategic communications centers.
The article concludes that effective counteraction to contemporary information threats requires regional coordination, strengthened international cooperation, and the establishment of a common system of information resilience for Ukraine and the Baltic Sea states in the context of growing hybrid challenges.