A working meeting was held at the Higher School of Public Administration with representatives of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security to discuss the further development of cooperation in the field of strategic communications and countering disinformation.

The discussion focused on strengthening and expanding training programs for civil servants responsible for information and communication support within government agencies.

“We must help civil servants respond appropriately and resist disinformation—identify information manipulation, counter it, and communicate effectively with citizens,” noted Yulia Lykhach, Director of the Higher School of Public Administration, during the meeting.

As part of the agreement, the parties plan to conduct regular online training sessions, involving civil servants at the central and regional levels.

The updated training program will cover a wide range of topics:

• New trends in disinformation and effective countermeasures
• Propaganda matrices and modern methods of information manipulation
• Fact-checking tools for communications professionals
• IPSO and FIMI operations as elements of destructive influence
• reactive and proactive approaches to countering disinformation
• strategic communications (including the OASIS model)
• crisis communications under information pressure
• the role of social media in shaping crisis situations
• media literacy, digital and information security
• the use of artificial intelligence: opportunities, risks, and ethical aspects

Viktoria Merlich, head of the training division at the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, emphasized the need for systematic improvement of professional competencies. According to her, in the context of hybrid warfare, the ability to identify disinformation narratives and respond promptly to information threats is particularly important.

The planned training sessions continue the educational work that the Higher School and the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security have been carrying out since 2023. During this time, approximately 400 public servants have already completed the relevant programs.