A lecture for students and teachers by Polish political scientist Tomasz Madras
The Centre for Political Studies of the Serhiy Konoval Department of Political Science and Philosophy at the B. Havrylyshyn Institute of International Relations of WUNU hosted a guest lecture on one of the most pressing issues in contemporary international security for students, postgraduates and lecturers.
The guest speaker was Tomasz Madras, a Polish political scientist and economist, Doctor of Social Sciences, Vice-Voivode of the Podlaskie Voivodeship in 2020-2023, and Doctor of the Department of Eastern European Studies and International Political Relations at the University of Białystok (Poland).
The topic of the lecture was ‘Strategic communications between Eastern European countries and their role in overcoming hybrid threats from the Russian Federation.’ The meeting was moderated by Myroslava Huryk, Candidate of Historical Sciences and Associate Professor at the Serhiy Konoval Department of Political Science and Philosophy.
The discussion focused on non-military instruments that Russia actively uses to destabilise the region. Professor Madras explained why strategic communications are a vital element of national security today. Participants learned how strategic communications help shape strong narratives that increase social resilience and clearly explain the state's actions to both domestic and foreign audiences.
The key message of the lecture was the need for joint action. No Eastern European country can effectively counter hybrid attacks on its own, and only the coordinated efforts of Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states can create a powerful ‘information shield’. Particular attention was paid to analysing the specifics of strategic communications directly between Ukraine and Poland during a full-scale war. Finally, the speaker used specific case studies to demonstrate examples of both successful and unsuccessful countermeasures against Russian hybrid operations.
Given the exceptional relevance of the topic, the lecture sparked a lively discussion. Participants asked numerous questions and expressed their opinions on various aspects of countering disinformation.
We sincerely thank prof. Madras for his interesting lecture and openness to dialogue! We sincerely thank Dr. Hryhoriy Monastyrskyi, Professor of Economics, for his assistance in organising the guest lecture.
