Russia’s war against Ukraine has forced intelligence agencies to change their approaches to information security, according to Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).
He stated this at the international forum “Information War: From Resistance to Resilience,” Ukrinform reports.
“This war has forced all intelligence services to rethink their approach to information security and build a large network of platforms through which we can deliver the information we need. It’s quite a broad and well-developed network. Some platforms are designed to counter disinformation, while others are used for the opposite purpose — to influence the enemy,” Budanov said.
He added that it is impossible to effectively counter large-scale disinformation without having one’s own clear, verified position.
As an example of successful enemy propaganda, Budanov cited one of Russia’s notorious fake stories from 2014 about a supposedly “crucified boy” in eastern Ukraine.
“The so-called ‘crucified boy’ story is a good example of how our enemy, back in 2014, cognitively influenced our society in the occupied territories. For the first six months, this narrative worked extremely well. Even today, during prisoner exchanges, I still hear people saying: ‘It was you who did this in 2014, just look at the Alley of Angels.’ But there is no alley and no angels — and yet people believe it, because the Russians systematically broadcasted this story across all TV channels, radio, and online media. Experts then interpreted it in their own ways, reinforcing the narrative. The myth of the ‘crucified boy’ stuck in people’s minds — and nothing can be done about it now. Unfortunately, it’s a textbook example of effective, systematic work , unfortunately, against us,” Budanov said.
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