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On 12 February 2026, Join Ukraine Director Liubov Tsybulska spoke at the Stockholm School of Economics (Stockholm) at the event «Ignoring Antagonistic Information Threats: Cost and Evidence from Ukraine». The event brought together members of the expert community and security professionals to discuss contemporary information challenges.
During her speech, she presented Ukraine’s experience in countering information operations in the context of the full-scale war. The key message was clear: information operations directly affect political, economic, and security decision-making.
«Information operations are not an accessory to conflict. They lead to very real physical consequences. They shape the environment in which political, economic, and military decisions are made», Liubov Tsybulska stressed.
According to her, the objective of such operations is not persuasion, but to reduce a society’s capacity for coherent decision-making. When decision-making becomes fragmented or slow, strategic advantage shifts to the aggressor.
Particular attention was given to examples demonstrating the long-term consequences of information operations: the events in Crimea in 2014, the information chaos following the downing of MH17, and the prolonged debate surrounding Nord Stream 2. These cases illustrate how the information environment influences international decisions and creates strategic vulnerabilities.
She also addressed the transition to cognitive warfare — a struggle for perception and trust.
«In cognitive warfare, the primary target is no longer territory but perception. Trust becomes both a vulnerability and a defence asset», she noted.
Ukraine’s experience demonstrates that information resilience must be integrated into Total Defence concepts and recognised as a structural element of defence and security.
Participation in the event provided an opportunity to share Ukraine’s practical experience with the international expert community and to contribute to shaping common approaches to countering information operations in Europe.
Join Ukraine continues to develop the Total Defence approach and strengthen intersectoral coordination in the face of hybrid challenges.