The Information Advantage Centre of Excellence (IACOE) has hosted the 'Practitioners Workshop and Information Operations Symposium – Disinformation and Hybrid Warfare in the Current Russia-Ukraine Conflict' in Canberra.

Led by the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, and Ukrainian specialist in media and public engagement, Natalia Solieva, the symposium on March 23 brought together Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, government stakeholders and international experts to examine the evolving characteristics of Russian disinformation and Ukraine’s response across more than a decade of conflict. 

Drawing on firsthand experience, both speakers highlighted how Russian information operations (IO) integrate cyber activity, grey-zone tactics, coercion and narrative warfare to shape perceptions before and during military action. 

Ambassador Myroshnychenko emphasised that Ukraine’s experience since the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the full‑scale invasion in 2022 had forged a whole‑of‑nation approach to defending the information environment.

“For Ukraine, information superiority is not optional – it is existential,” Ambassador Myroshnychenko said.

The presenters outlined how Russian state media, social platforms, proxy outlets and AI‑enabled content farms generate thousands of tailored narratives daily. These efforts aim to fracture democratic unity, undermine NATO cohesion and deter international support to Ukraine.

Audience members discussed similarities between Russian activities in Europe and information threats emerging in the Indo‑Pacific. Both presenters noted that the industrial scale of Russian IO is comparable with the capabilities of other authoritarian states, reinforcing the need for the ADF to accelerate the integration of its own IO capabilities.

'The National Defence Strategy makes clear that decision superiority is achieved through tandem efforts in the physical and information environments.'

Ms Solieva highlighted the effectiveness of Ukraine’s approach, characterised by rapid messaging, humour and ridicule, ‘radical transparency’, and deep coordination between government, industry and civil society to counter the disinformation narratives.  

Ms Solieva noted success had been achieved when tactical actions aligned with real‑time information effects to achieve operational impact.

Director of IACOE Group Captain Michael Burgess‑Orton said the symposium reinforced the critical role IO plays in modern conflict.

“The National Defence Strategy makes clear that decision superiority is achieved through tandem efforts in the physical and information environments,” Group Captain Burgess‑Orton said. 

“Defence must develop a joint, adaptable and human‑centred IO workforce, one capable of competing before conflict and delivering credible effects when it matters.

“Credible IO capabilities require scale, authorities and processes that enable timely, coordinated messaging across the political, strategic and operational levels.”

The symposium underscored the need for the ADF to absorb lessons from Ukraine and accelerate efforts to secure an enduring information advantage.