DATE: Monday, 18 June 2018

TIME: 7pm

VENUE: 79 Holland Park, London W11 3SW

ADMISSION: The event is free but registration is required. Click here to register

Information warfare has become a phenomenon much talked about in recent years, and Ukraine’s experience is often quoted as a case in point. Since 2014 and Ukraine’s “Revoltuion of Dignity,” Ukraine has been grappling with external and internal communication attacks on its society and state institutions. How has this communications warfare shaped its politics, and what can other countries learn from it? Dmytro Kuleba is a Ukrainian diplomat, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe. He has been at the heart of the Ministry’s of Foreign Affairs communications efforts long before the 2013-14 Revolution. His current role in Strasbourg gives him a unique vantage point to observe decision-making process in this key European institution and the influence excecised by Russia, which is excluded from the Council of Europe’s parliamentary Assembly following the annexation of Crimea. In his talk,Mr Kuleba will analyse the dimensions of Russia’s meddling in Ukraine, fragmentation of society by the means of communications, challenges of the perception of Ukraine in the West, the problem of fake news.

The talk will be moderated by Marina Pesenti, Director of Ukrainian Institute London.

Speaker’s bio:

Mr Dmytro Kuleba is a Ukrainian diplomat and communicator. Working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in 2010-2012, he was dealing, in particular, with the promotion of Ukraine abroad and of the Foreign Ministry domestically.

He left public service in 2013 to engage in the development of international cultural projects and advise politicians and businessmen on managing their reputation.

In 2014, Mr Kuleba returned to the Foreign Ministry to assist the government in building effective system of communication and fighting Russian disinformation campaigns against Ukraine. As Ambassador-at-Large for Strategic Communications, he introduced concepts of digital diplomacy, strategic communications, cultural diplomacy and public diplomacy into the work of the Foreign Ministry.

In 2016, Mr Kuleba was appointed as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe. Dmytro is continuously engaged in the issues of communications, communicative wars, and foreign policy.

His book “Rules of Success in Communicative Wars” is pending publication in Ukraine in autumn 2018. Based on personal experience, vast academic research and expert opinions, Mr Kuleba provides an overview of modern techniques of influencing perceptions, emotions and choices of individuals. He pays special attention to the role of online platforms, including social media, bots and artificial intelligence in general in the modern warfare. He explains how disinformation and manipulation machines are organized and managed.

Mr Kuleba gives clear recommendations on how one can organize self-defence from communicative aggression. Those are summarized in six rules: Stick to Reality, Think Critically, Manage Emotions, Respect Robots, Sense the Community, Cooperate with the Government.