Ukrainian specialist warns ‘disinformation is one of war’s strongest weapons’
Valeria Kovtun said she has been fighting in the ‘information battlefield’ from her basement bunker in northern Ukraine.
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Your support makes all the difference.A Ukrainian media specialist has issued a warning that “disinformation is one of the strongest weapons”, after fact-checking Russia’s reporting of the war in her country.
Valeria Kovtun is head of the national media literacy project Filter but has been working specifically to combat Russian misinformation online since war broke out on February 24.
People keep repeating the same mantra that it's the West attacking and it's Russia who's bringing peace. You tell them that we have people hiding in the shelters because there are rockets flying over Kyiv but they still tell us it’s not true
The 24-year-old said she has been fighting in the “information battlefield” from her basement bunker at her parents’ house in northern Ukraine after fleeing the capital Kyiv last week.
“Disinformation is probably is one of the strongest weapons of the war… look at the Russian people,” she told the PA news agency.
“People keep repeating the same mantra that it’s the West attacking and it’s Russia who’s bringing peace.
“You tell them that we have people hiding in the shelters because there are rockets flying over Kyiv but they still tell us it’s not true.”
Ms Kovtun would not specify the area in northern Ukraine she is now sheltering in for safety reasons, but said she is unable to leave as Russian soldiers are drawing closer each day.
She described the current situation in Ukraine as like being in a “zombie apocalypse” and said she has heard reports of Russian soldiers “entering people’s homes” and “robbing shops” for food and supplies.
She said she agreed with the rhetoric that there are similarities between the fighting in Ukraine and the warfare seen during the World War Two.
But said she believes the internet and social media have made it easier for the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government to spread propaganda.
To me it is phenomenal how the world managed to close their eyes on the fact that there was a regime which was breeding such monstrous propaganda from such a monster who is now willing to basically end civilisation.
“To me it is phenomenal how the world managed to close their eyes on the fact that there was a regime which was breeding such monstrous propaganda from such a monster who is now willing to basically end civilisation,” she said.
“I have a friend in Moscow who is very scared to post anything on social media… she’s scared that she will be taken to prison.
“I think the fear is the worst thing… but at the same time, I have a strong belief that those who keep silent are also helping the crime.
“I think the only way to stop the war is to undermine Russia from inside and encourage the Russians who are under Putin’s regime to fight against it.”
Ms Kovtun, who is a Ukrainian national, studied at the London School of Economics but moved back to Kyiv during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Part of her fight against disinformation includes verifying the mass of photographs and videos being uploaded and shared online as many have been proved to have been manipulated or to be spreading incorrect information.
“I am trying to promote the truth to Russians as many of them are blindfolded after over 20 years of propaganda,” she said.
“They believe this war is just Russia protecting itself.
“The information battlefield is making things even more complicated because most of people are in constant panic and feel there is a constant threat.
“We are trying to talk to people but they are very hostile.”
The United Nations has said one million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian assault started on February 24.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service has said more than 2,000 civilians have died, although it is impossible to verify the claim.