Ukraine Establishes Coalition for Cognitive Security

In Ukraine, according to information provided by the Institute of National Resilience and Security on the social network Facebook, work has begun on the establishment of a Coalition for Cognitive Security. This initiative emerged from a professional discussion that took place at the Institute, where participants emphasized the significance of the cognitive domain as a strategic field of war.

The Institute's announcement noted that authoritarian regimes systematically invest in large-scale influence operations aimed at undermining trust in democratic institutions, blurring facts, destabilizing society, and weakening the capacity for collective action. In the face of such threats, the democratic world requires not fragmented reactions but a comprehensive infrastructure for cognitive security that will serve as a foundation for protection against information attacks.

To create such an infrastructure, the Institute of National Resilience and Security has initiated the formation of a coalition that will serve as an open platform for collaboration. This coalition aims to unite civil society, state stakeholders, experts, international partners, as well as new organizations and initiatives. According to representatives of the Institute, this coalition is intended to strengthen support for state management decisions in the field of cognitive security.

The work on the coalition was initiated in partnership with strategic analytics and international relations experts Diana Dahlkevich and Viktoriya Bekalo from the organization Victory Neurones. The event saw participation from representatives of the public sector, the expert community, civil society, and the communications sector, indicating a broad interest in the topic of cognitive security.

One of the main goals of the initiative is to form a common vision of strategic objectives, create an operational model for the coalition, and identify a circle of partners who will become the core of future cooperation. Rena Marutyan, the director of the Institute of National Resilience and Security, emphasized that the Coalition for Cognitive Security should not be a mere declaration but a practical tool for joint action.

According to participants in the discussion, an effective model of cognitive security should be based on four fundamental components: unity, infrastructure, resources, and outcomes. Only under such conditions can we transition from disparate initiatives to a systemic response to coordinated cognitive aggression, which is extremely relevant in today's world.

Among the potential areas of work for the coalition are joint analytics of the enemy, its behavioral patterns, and complex influence operations, the development of planning systems and effectiveness metrics, as well as strengthening the role of civil society. Additionally, an important aspect is the formation of a legal framework to counter cognitive aggression. This provides Ukraine with the opportunity not only to enhance its own capabilities but also to contribute to the formation of a new security architecture in the cognitive dimension.

As reported by Ukrinform, Rena Marutyan, director of the Institute of National Resilience and Security, noted that in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine, information and culture serve as vital tools for cognitive influence. Therefore, it is essential for Ukrainians to perceive all Russian content with skepticism and filter it through their own 'mental shield.' This underscores the necessity of fostering critical thinking among the population and actively participating in the information struggle.

We invite all interested parties to join our channels on Telegram, Instagram, and YouTube to stay updated on the latest news and initiatives in the field of cognitive security.