MediaFutures and SUJO Joint Guest Lecture: Countering Russian Disinformation with Maksym Balaklytskyi from Kharkiv National University

Maksym Balaklytsky from Kharkiv National Univeristy in Ukraine will give a seminar on April 12th.

TITLE: Countering Russian Disinformation 

WHEN: 12 April, 12:00 – 13:00

WHERE: MediaFutures

ABSTRACT:

Russian propaganda has played a major role in the country’s aggression against Ukraine since 2014. It takes many forms, including imperialism, globalism, and a longing for the Soviet Union. Disinformation is one of its most important tactics, and Russia portrays itself as both a superpower and a victim of sinister forces.

The current “Big Lie” is that all territories ever controlled by the Russian empire or USSR are now canonical territory of the Russian Federation. Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova are the main targets of this propaganda due to their common past and Russian-speaking populations. While Belarus tries to retain power and avoid competition with the West, Ukraine has been making efforts to strengthen its connections with the EU and NATO. Despite Russian interference, Ukraine is slowly moving away from Russian influence.

In response, Russia has openly attacked Ukraine, claiming to liberate it from a Nazi regime and condemning any attempts to diminish Ukraine’s connections to its Soviet past, Russian language, and Orthodox church. The main political crime of the Ukrainian government, in this view, is the drive to diminish the above-mentioned sacred ties with Russia. Any alternatives to these three are declared illegal, irrational, unfounded and immoral.

BIO:

Maksym Balaklytskyi is a Professor of the Journalism Department of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, the highest-ranked Ukrainian University in the QS World University Ranking – in 2023, so it has been some years already. He holds a PhD in Social Communications from Institute of Journalism at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Because of the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, he came to the UK in January 2023, aiming to do research on countering Russian propaganda. Now he is a Visiting Fellow to the Faculty of Media and Communication at Bournemouth University, UK. He is a news editor at Hope Media Group, contributor to the prominent national and B2B media outlets in Ukraine, author of 4 books, 2 student textbooks, and tens of academic articles.