On April 24, as part of the “Kyiv StratCom Forum 2025: Information Resilience of Ukraine in the Context of Global Changes”, a panel discussion called “United Front: Strengthening Allied Cooperation in StratCom” took place.
The discussion featured Mariana Betsa, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Piers Cazalet, Director, Defence and Security Cooperation, NATO HQ; Ben Heap, Project Lead, Ukraine StratCom Partnership NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence; and Sébastien Surun, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of France in Ukraine.
The panel was moderated by Liubov Tsybulska, Advisor at the Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security.
During the discussion, participants talked about the challenges of hybrid warfare, the need to strengthen international cooperation, and how to better coordinate efforts in strategic communications. They also stressed the value of sharing experiences between Ukraine, NATO, the EU, and global partners.
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sees information security as a key part of national security. She noted that FIMA (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference) is a major element of the hybrid war against democracies.
To counter these threats, Ukraine is using a comprehensive approach that includes strategic communications, international cooperation, information campaigns, and updates to key policy documents.
“We’re working closely with key international partners — the UK, NATO, the EU, and countries across the Global South — adapting our messaging to fit different regional contexts. It’s crucial that we counter disinformation in a systematic, consistent way — from high-level diplomatic forums to everyday public communication”, said Mariana Betsa.
Piers Cazalet, Director, Defence and Security Cooperation, NATO HQ, underlined how essential it is to fight FIMA in order to protect democracies, especially during hybrid warfare. He emphasized that the EU, NATO, and Ukraine must act together to build strong information resilience and keep their messaging aligned. Piers Cazalet also pointed out that Ukraine’s experience is already serving as an example for its partners, showing that strategic communication is a cornerstone of modern security.
Ben Heap, Project Lead, Ukraine StratCom Partnership NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, stressed that countering information manipulation requires constant adaptation and international cooperation. Despite challenges like staff turnover and inconsistent strategies, progress is being made through initiatives such as Ukraine’s Strategic Communications group. He emphasized that effective counteraction relies on coordination, resilience, collaboration, adequate resources, and impact assessment.
Sébastien Surun, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of France in Ukraine, highlighted that effectively combating information manipulation requires continuous coordination, flexibility, and knowledge sharing between countries. He emphasized the role of the Visionum for Digital Lookout initiative in detecting threats and stressed the importance of joint analysis and impact evaluation of campaigns.
The Kyiv StratCom Forum is Ukraine’s largest international platform focused on information security, countering foreign interference, and advancing strategic communications.
The event is organized by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, with support from international partners.
This year’s forum is supported by the EU Delegation to Ukraine, the NATO Representation to Ukraine, the UNDP office, and the Practitioners’ Network for European Development Cooperation (Estonia).
