Co-Founder of UCBSS at a Symposium in Dublin: “Russia Will Only Stop Where and When It Is Stopped”

On November 14, UCBSS co-founder Olesia Horiainova became a speaker at the international symposium “How Russian Propaganda and Disinformation Affect Societies Around the World” in Dublin, Ireland. The event was organized by Ukrainian Action and the Embassy of Ukraine in Ireland, with the support of the U.S. Embassy and the European Commission Representation.

During the event, experts and journalists from Ukraine, Ireland, the EU, and the United States discussed how Russian propaganda and disinformation affect democratic societies and the consequences of these influences. Participants sought answers to whether the information war against Russia can be won—and how to do it.

Olesia Horiainova, co-founder and Communications Director of UCBSS, together with distinguished ambassadors, organizers, and speakers of the symposium in Dublin.

During her speech, the UCBSS co-founder presented a case study of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation on countering Russian hybrid influence in the Czech Republic and emphasized the global nature of Russia’s hybrid war against the West.

“Our team at UCBSS has spent nearly ten years researching Russia’s hybrid war and hybrid influence. We began tracking the methods Russia used in Ukraine, where Russian influence has lasted not decades, but centuries. Ukraine became a testing ground for Russia’s new methods and technologies.”

For a long time, Russia’s goals have remained unchanged: to expand its presence in every region of the world by extending the borders of its “empire”; to weaken and destabilize Western democracies in order to fracture the coalition; and to enrich itself at the expense of others—stealing natural resources from some countries and selling them to others. The task Ukrainians set for themselves, and particularly the UCBSS team, is to show the world Russia’s true face.

Olesia Horiainova, co-founder and Communications Director of UCBSS, during her speech at the symposium in Dublin.

“With the start of the full-scale invasion, the world saw Russia’s true nature, which limited its ability to exert influence directly. Instead of the usual pro-Russian rhetoric, Kremlin narratives are now voiced by opinion leaders in other countries or by vulnerable groups within societies. Russia has not stopped its propaganda activities—it exploits societal pressure points to achieve its goals,” Horiainova commented.

As an illustration of Russia’s attempts to discredit Ukraine and destabilize Western societies, Olesia Horiainova cited the recent Roma–Ukrainian conflict in the Czech Republic, which did not occur without Russian interference.

Without significant successes or victories on the battlefield in Ukraine, Russia will continue to make every effort to indirectly weaken the coalition and destabilize Western countries.

“What can we do? Identify all Russian influence networks worldwide, track assets and companies that finance Russia’s war machine, expose how Russia operates, and educate societies on how to counter it. Russia will stop only where and when it is stopped—and we have all the tools to do so, while Ukraine, at the cost of its citizens’ lives, is defending the entire world,” emphasized Olesia Horiainova at the conclusion of her speech.

We thank the Embassy of Ukraine in Ireland and Ukrainian Action in Ireland for organizing the event in partnership with the European Commission Representation in Ireland and the U.S. Embassy in Ireland.