The Alberta Society for the Advancement of Ukrainian Studies (ASAUS), together with the Contemporary Ukraine Studies Program at the University of Alberta's Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), is organizing a conference titled "Russia's Information Warfare: The Case of Ukraine in a Global Comparative Context," to be held in Edmonton, Alberta, on 12 October 2019.
Russia's increasing use of new information and cyber-warfare technologies is a strategically important issue for the state security of Canada and other democratic countries. During the conference, prominent experts will closely examine Russia's information and cyber interference in Ukraine's internal affairs in a global comparative context.
The goal of the conference is to contribute to further awareness and understanding of Russia's intentions and strategies in Europe, the USA, and other countries and regions worldwide. The conference additionally aims to foster new types of dialogue between professional journalists and experts in media and cybersecurity. It will also focus on engaging local communities in Canada and abroad, mindful of the benefits of social engagement in helping to adopt new systems of checks and balances that play an important role vis-à-vis potential information threats.
The communication and cyber strategies that Russia has been using to destabilize the political and social situation in Ukraine and elsewhere will be closely examined from a variety of perspectives. Comparisons will be drawn with Russia's information campaigns in neighbouring countries and, farther afield, in Central and Western European countries as well as the US and Canada.
The case of Ukraine will be discussed in detail, as a country where Russia's hybrid warfare played a significant role in the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in March 2014, and in the subsequent and still-ongoing military conflict in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The conference programme and registration form will be posted soon on the conference website(https://informationwar.
Conference Co-chairs
Oleksandr Pankieiev
President, Alberta Society for the Advancement of Ukrainian Studies
Research Communication Coordinator, ACE /CIUS, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta
Volodymyr Kravchenko
Director, Contemporary Ukraine Studies Programs, CIUS
Professor, Department of History & ClassicsFaculty of Arts, University of Alberta