The Ukraine Case Studies
Investigating influence, networks, and security in the Ukraine crisis
Overview:
The Ukraine Case Studies are a collection of projects investigating the crisis in Ukraine linked in the Russia invasion in February 2022 that bring together an international group of multidisciplinary researchers and experts. The initiative is focusing on information and communication operations with implications for the present conflict and long-term global practices and policies. The research team is conducting overarching case studies of the developments around influence, networks, and security in the Ukraine crisis as well as a set of embedded case studies of particular developments within Russia, Ukraine and internationally.
These case studies are in early stages of development through working papers, the organisation of roundtable discussions, and funding for a survey of the public in Ukraine. The international team is being organised and managed by the Portulans Institute and comprises of researchers from the GCSCC, University of Oxford Saïd Business School, the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), the Institute of Sociology of National Academy of Sciences Ukraine and and the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”. The Ukrainian social scientists affiliated with the project are currently living in Ukraine, Ireland and Germany.
Projects
UNESCO and the government of Japan are supporting study on Access to Information Media Literacy about Politics. The project seeks to enhance understanding of how the Ukraine public access information on politics, the degree of trust they have in various media, and how individuals have adapted their media and literacy habits to the context of the ongoing war.
To meet these aims, a sample survey of 2,000 respondents in Ukraine has been conducted to gain insight on access to information and the media literacy of Ukrainians during the ongoing war following Russia’s invasion of the country. The survey will be complemented by qualitative in-depth interviews about the media landscape in Ukraine during this period. Results of the study will be disseminated widely and a report on the project will be published along with a series of short reports on key findings. The study will support recommendations on practical steps for Ukraine to address evolving issues of media literacy and the ability of its citizens to access reliable information in the context of a war on information as well as the people of Ukraine.
To launch the case research three roundtable discussions were scheduled between June 2023 and January 2024. The outcomes of these discussions helped to refine the research approach, illuminate key research questions and identify potential ties with researchers in other universities and institutions.
Is the Invasion of Ukraine Reshaping ICT, R&D, and Cognitive Warfare?
This first roundtable, held at HIIG in Berlin in June 2023 served to develop a range of questions to be pursued in the second roundtable. Discussions ranged across key topics, including the implications of the war in Ukraine for the study of media and information networks, and societal implications of AI. Discussion also focused on the governance in the public interest of everything digital, from data, internet platforms, and other information infrastructures.
Reshaping Global Information, Communication, and Security: the Russo-Ukraine War
On September 26, 2023 the Portulans Institute held a roundtable at University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School titled “How the War in Ukraine Could Reshape Global Information, Communication, and Security”. The hybrid event was attended by 32 individuals (with 2 apologies from individuals who contributed a position paper), 16 of those participating in-person. The conversation built on over twenty position papers authored by the participants.
Information, Communication, and Innovation Aspects of the War on Ukraine: A Meeting of Early Career Researchers
Our third and most recent event on January 26, 2024 was an Oxford Forum for early career researchers, held at the Oxford Internet Institute. This third forum focused as well on the implications of the Russia-Ukraine War (RUW) for information, communication, innovation, and cybersecurity. The forum brought together a diverse mix of early career researchers from 12 universities representing 8 countries.
