Delfina ERTANOWSKA^

Summary. The article discusses Russian propaganda techniques aimed at manipulating the recipients of social media and instant messaging in Europe. The methods of dark psychology as tools in the information war against Ukraine and neighboring countries were analyzed in the context of Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

Key words: Cyber war, psychology, new media manipulation, Russian propaganda, Russian war, social media

February 24, 2022, it will go down in history as the beginning of the most brutal and bloodiest war in Europe since World War II. The Russian attack on Ukraine is an unprecedented revival of fascism in Europe. Rashism Рашизм that is nothing more like Russian fascism, it has its roots in the 19th century, this concept was renewed by Dzhokhar Musayevich Dudayev in the year 1995 during the First Chechen War. The term has been quoted 23 April 2022 by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during the Russian attack on Ukraine, which has been going on for over three months now. Due to the scale of Russians’ brutality, this war is “exceptional” in the negative sense of the word. However, this is not the only aspect that determines the “otherness” of this conflict, for the first time, in addition to a massive military attack, we are dealing with a hybrid war in all its possible aspects: informational, cybernetic, economic after threats of using nuclear weapons by “ruscicts” against any NATO and EU country. An additional front of the war is aimed at the Ukrainian diaspora, Ukrainian activists, war refugees from eastern Ukraine, as well as people and countries helping Ukraine in a humanitarian, military and political way.

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