COGNITIVE WAR OF RUSSIA AGAINST UKRAINE

Abstract

The article analyzes the features of the emergence and implementation of the concept of cognitive war of Russia against Ukraine. The aggressor state uses a number of ways and methods of conducting information warfare, which is expressed in conducting information aggression, historical and cultural expansion, and cognitive distortion of reality. The object of military influence is the Ukrainian people, society and the state. But, if countering information aggression and expansion is an obvious necessity, then the cognitive aspect of information warfare is rarely mentioned in scientific works and is completely absent in current legislation. This is a serious strategic problem for the Ukrainian state, because such types of propaganda as disinformation, information and psychological operations or sabotage are only a tactical level tool or, under certain conditions, only a distracting factor. The most pronounced blow of the strategic direction of the enemy is in the cognitive plane, where it is able to influence the thinking modeling system. This concerns the conditions of mental development of society, its behavioral models and the formation of control over cognitive processes. The cognitive aspect of the information war is mostly realized through the spread of narratives in the medium of mass culture, science and entertainment content. Society's inability to distinguish overt propaganda from covert propaganda reflects the high level of effectiveness of the latter. Influence on thinking patterns is a key element of the information war strategy of the Russian Federation, because it allows to create a foundation for any other types of aggression, including armed, economic or political. The expression of the cognitive aspect of the information war takes place through the construction of specific thinking algorithms, cause and effect relationships, conditions for the interaction of stimuli and reactions. It is noted how the Russian Federation tries to model behavior and thinking algorithms within Ukrainian society. It is also proposed to improve the mechanisms of combating informational and cognitive threats due to the introduction of a new legal act.