сп. Критика и хуманизъм | кн. 62, бр. 1/2025 | Strengthening Information Integrity: From Narrative Warfare to Strategic Communications
водещи броя: Вероника Димитрова, Никола Тулечки, Тодор Галев, с. 176, ISSN:0861-1718
Съдържание
* Изданието е достъпно на английски език.
Уводни думи
This issue of Critique & Humanism examines the tactics, techniques, and procedures of anti-democratic information warfare, including propaganda, disinformation, and manipulative communication strategies designed to erode democratic institutions, public trust, and societal resilience. While these practices are prominently employed by the Russian state and its affiliated actors, they are by no means exclusive to Russia. This issue emerges from the Sofia Information Integrity Forum (November 2024), a multidisciplinary international conference that focused not only on the deconstruction of dominant propaganda frames and narratives, but also on the broader challenges of public communication and the cultivation of information integrity in societies most vulnerable to such destabilizing influences.
The issue is divided into three sections. The first explores the core strategies of Russian propaganda. Mark Galeotti argues that the Kremlin’s holistic concept of warfare encompasses efforts to destabilize the West through polarization and demoralization. Dimitar Vatsov expands the analysis by examining one of the most effective targets of propaganda disruption: the hegemony of the West, understood as a human rights regime. In this context, propaganda narratives attack and redefine this hegemonic framework, contributing to its gradual decline. As a result, the contemporary political landscape is increasingly framed in terms of geopolitics and great power competition, while democratic and human rights discourses are pushed into retreat – a dynamic Vatsov describes as “discursive terror”. Valentin Châtelet outlines specific tactics and tricks of Russian warfare for shaping public perception of Ukraine and influencing
election cycles worldwide. The second section examines various strategies for countering propaganda. Neville Bolt’s paper focuses on the rise of Strategic Communications, advancing his concept of normative Strategic Communications grounded in the values of liberal democratic societies. Drawing on his practical experience, Jaroslav Valůch analyzes how public communication, understood as a public service, can foster trust, empower citizens, and strengthen societal resilience in contexts of polycrisis. In a more theoretical contribution, Plamen Makariev develops an approach rooted in Habermas’s theory, moving beyond the widely used notion of disinformation to address broader forms of manipulation of public opinion. He argues that a meta-critical analysis of manipulative practices in public communication offers a more effective means of resistance. The third section turns to more specific analytical tactics and case studies of disinformation and propaganda. The opening paper by Mariya Yurukova, conspiracy theories through a case study of the so-called “digital concentration camp” conspiracy theory. He argues that conspiracy theories embedded within propaganda serve to erode democratic and liberal values, seeking to destabilize Western societies by weaponizing anxiety and fear. Finally, Gloria Trifonova and Kristina Tsabala analyze gender-based disinformation narratives targeting Ukrainian women refugees in Bulgaria. Their findings suggest that Bulgaria’s media ecosystem not only amplifies hostile narratives, but that Bulgarian women themselves often play an active role in their dissemination. Todor Kiriakov and Devora Kotseva presents content and media analysis as a method for addressing the global challenges confronting contemporary information ecosystems. This approach facilitates a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics of information flows and emerging threats. In the next paper, Valentin Valkanov explores the relationship between propaganda and conspiracy theories through a case study of the so-called “digital concentration camp” conspiracy theory. He argues that conspiracy theories embedded within propaganda serve to erode democratic and liberal values, seeking to destabilize Western societies by weaponizing anxiety and fear. Finally, Gloria Trifonova and Kristina Tsabala analyze gender-based disinformation narratives targeting Ukrainian women refugees in Bulgaria. Their findings suggest that Bulgaria’s media ecosystem not only amplifies hostile narratives, but that Bulgarian women themselves often play an active role in their dissemination.
Strengthening Information Integrity:
From Narrative Warfare to Strategic Communications
When Disinformation Meets Disruption: Russia’s Strategy of Paralysis
Abstract: Disinformation, strategic corruption, sabotage, subversion, espionage, the instrumentalization of organized crime – all these and other tactics may seem to be different challenges facing the West. However, Moscow has a much more holistic sense of “war”, and especially warfighting in the non-military realm, in which these are all part of a single, interconnected strategy. The goal is to paralyze the West through division and demoralization. As there are sharp limits to how the West can respond in kind, the best answer is “deterrence by denial”, making Russian malign activity less effective through a range of measures, from cybersecurity to combating corruption, as much from a “bottom up” effort by society as a “top down” one from state structures.
Keywords: Russia, political war, hybrid war, disinformation, subversion
Is the Hegemony of the West Coming to an End? (And Russian Propaganda as Postmodern Bricolage and Discursive Terror)
Abstract: This paper argues that the hegemony of the West, understood as a human rights regime, is in retreat. Russian propaganda – in sync with various populist voices around the world – has achieved a first victory: a new discursive hegemony has been formed, in which the political is understood primarily as geopolitics – as rivalry between states and Great Powers – and not in terms of democracy and human rights. The paper is essentially a reflection on the reasons for the temporary weakening of the hegemony of rights. An internal deficit of democracies, which lies at the root of both social inequalities and citizens’ skepticism about their active role in governance, is the lack of transparency around how existing practical inequalities and privileges arise – power seems to operate behind the scenes. This calls into question the principle of meritocracy. However, hidden privileges and inequalities cannot be attacked with demands for equal rights. At present, there is no clear institutional mechanism to counter state capture. This is being exploited by Russian propagandists and local oligarchs, who, through postmodern ideological bricolage, exercise discursive terror to undermine liberal democracy and human rights. However, they have yet to offer a positive utopian counter-hegemonic project.
Keywords: hegemony, propaganda, human rights, populism, randomness, terror
Exposing Russian Information Warfare in 2024: Tactics, Tricks, and Elections
Abstract: This paper examines how Russian-sponsored influence campaigns sought to undermine trust and interfere with democratic processes in 2024. It explores the role of Russian-affiliated and private actors in disseminating disinformation and orchestrating inauthentic online campaigns aimed at shaping public perception of Ukraine and influencing election cycles worldwide. The analysis is based on methodologies such as open-source intelligence (OSINT), social media intelligence (SOCMINT), and web forensics. This paper is a condensed version of the presentation “Exposing Russian Information Warfare in 2024: Tactics, Tricks, and Elections” delivered at the Sofia Information Integrity Forum on 7 November 2024.
Keywords: disinformation, misinformation, Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB), OSINT, SOCMINT, Russia, elections, information warfare, proxy war, artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLMs), Ukraine, NATO, EU, Russia, the United States (US), France, Germany, Moldova
Propaganda vs. Communication
The Future Is More Than What Happens Next: Strategic Communications and the 21st Century
Abstract: Strategic Communications appeared as if from nowhere in the early 21st century. The term grew in currency as interventionist policies in Iraq and Afghanistan were pursued by the Western security community and as Russian expansionism became ever more threatening, particularly in Georgia and Ukraine. Nevertheless, the question remains why the concept is so often held to be over-practiced and under-theorized. Here I set out my outline genealogy and identify some of the key concerns which continue to haunt a type of communications focused on long-term geopolitical change that I propose is firmly anchored in the liberal democratic project.
Keywords: Strategic Communications, influence, information, geopolitics, liberal democracy, memory construction, storytelling, NATO, counterinsurgency
Beyond Lovebrands: Communication as Public Service in a Polycrisis World. A Practitioner’s Perspective on Communication Evolution in Low-Trust Societies
Abstract: In an era of concurrent and amplifying crises, traditional institutional communication approaches require evolution. Drawing from extensive practitioner experience and illustrated by the 2024 Czech flood response, this paper examines how public communication as a service can function in polycrisis contexts. It introduces a multidimensional model of trust vectors and demonstrates how crisis communication principles, when integrated into regular practice, can enhance public communication effectiveness and counter misinformation. The paper proposes a polycrisis communication framework that accepts societal skepticism as the baseline, designing empowering strategies that recognize citizens as capable partners. Neither conventional public relations approaches nor traditional crisis communication frameworks suffice in today’s environment; institutions should develop communication strategies that accommodate governmental constraints while fulfilling critical information needs across fragmented narrative landscapes. This perspective also suggests an enhanced professional profile for communicators equipped to navigate complexity, manage uncertainty, and bridge divided information ecosystems while contributing to broader information integrity.
Keywords: polycrisis, crisis communication, institutional trust, information integrity, counter-disinformation strategies, FIMI, fact-checking, vulnerable populations, community collaboration, public communication
Manipulations of Public Communication Beyond Disinformation. Meta-Deliberation as Antidote
Abstract: This paper examines a wide range of forms of manipulation of public communication, and disinformation as one of them. The central argument is that, in addition to disinformation, the other forms of manipulation must also be countered, each by appropriately tailored means. The focus is on argumentative (rational) types of manipulation. The paper proposes differentiating a meta-level of critique of argumentative manipulations from the clash of arguments and counterarguments at the substantive level. The hypothesis is that a substantively impartial (meta-)critique of manipulations of public communication is likely to be more persuasive to the general public than exposing manipulations as part of a comprehensive clash of positions. The conception of meta-deliberation is elaborated through the methodology of public deliberation.
Keywords: disinformation, manipulation, argument, autonomy, meta-deliberation
Propaganda vs. Communication
Understanding Disinformation: The Pivotal Role of Media Analysis in Ensuring Information Integrity
Abstract: The spread and efficiency of disinformation in the digital environment pose a critical challenge to the integrity of information ecosystems globally. The increasing number of challenges is outpacing the effectiveness of available countermeasures.
The main thesis of this paper is that media analysis is a vital method for detecting and countering disinformation because it provides a systematic, comprehensive, and adaptable approach to understanding the complex dynamics of information threats in the media landscape, but it needs to be constantly developed and supervised by human analysts and researchers.
Through a review of academic debates and private-sector case studies, the paper highlights the importance of this analytical approach in maintaining information integrity in a rapidly changing digital environment. Additionally, it identifies key challenges and limitations in current media analysis methodologies, such as biases in algorithmic detection and the evolving nature of disinformation tactics.
Keywords: content analysis, media analysis, methods, countering disinformation, case studies
The Digital Concentration Camp: How Anti-Democratic Propaganda Uses Conspiracy Theories
Abstract: Since its aggressive rise in 2013, anti-democratic propaganda in Bulgaria has employed the explanatory mechanisms of conspiracy theories to shape certain public attitudes among Bulgarians, but also across other European societies. While the general logic of this propaganda is conspiratorial, it also draws on specific, constantly evolving theories that are adapted to serve its primary goals: undermining democratic and liberal values and, as a result, destabilizing Western states by weaponizing the anxiety and fears of frustrated social groups through easily digestible, emotionally charged messages against a common enemy. One such theory, or narrative, is the “digital concentration camp” conspiracy theory. This theory channels widespread fears about new technologies and exemplifies how anti-democratic propaganda incorporates narratives that are not strictly political but can be leveraged to advance its agenda. This paper examines that process – tracing the trajectory from the general goals of propaganda to its specific messages – through the case study of the “digital concentration camp” conspiracy theory and one of its variations, the narrative concerning the digital euro.
Keywords: propaganda, anti-democratic propaganda, conspiracy theories, anxiety, fear, digital concentration camp, digital euro
Weaponizing Gender and Identity: Pro-Kremlin Disinformation Against Ukrainian Women in Bulgaria
Abstract: This paper investigates how gendered and identity-based disinformation, rooted in pro-Kremlin propaganda, targets Ukrainian women refugees in Bulgaria. Drawing on extensive media monitoring and in-depth interviews, it reveals how Bulgarian political and media ecosystems amplify hostile narratives portraying Ukrainian women as hypersexualized opportunists and cultural threats. These narratives exploit existing sexist and anti-liberal sentiments and circulate across both fringe and mainstream platforms. Notably, the study identifies the often-overlooked role of Bulgarian women as active amplifiers of anti-feminist disinformation within lifestyle and community spaces online. The research highlights how these dynamics compound the vulnerabilities of Ukrainian women, affecting their access to healthcare, housing, and employment, while normalizing discriminatory public attitudes. By mapping the intersection of gender, disinformation, and migration, the study underscores the need for gender-aware responses to malign influence operations.
Keywords: disinformation, Russian propaganda, Ukrainian women, gender, identity