Yevhen MAHDA, PhD^

Abstract. The course of hybrid confrontation generates not only innovative technologies of influence. The Russian government successfully adopts the proven already methods. In this context, dehumanization is the re-interpretation of the principles of Soviet propaganda during World War II. Dehumanization of the opponent has recently become one of the main tools of hybrid influence. Among the main tools of dehumanization are fakes that touch on sensitive topics – i.e., crimes against children committed by the enemy’s troops etc. The actors of various levels of social influence often go forward with such messages. The study of the mechanisms of dehumanization of the enemy is a vital component of combating hybrid influence.

The Kremlin`s hybrid confrontation with the civilized world is characterized by the evolution of the methods used by the Russian government to spread its information messages and its narratives.

Dehumanization of the enemy is the old technique that has been used in different military actions for a long time. But this technique got its next wind in the context of unconventional modern wars when traditional methods of warfare, full-scale wars are less and less possible to lead¹. At the present stage of hybrid warfare research, the study of the dehumanization mechanisms of the enemy – both in the Ukrainian context and in the context of other regional conflicts – seems promising as far as allows to predict the next steps of the aggressor – their nature and direction.

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