NATO hosts conference on countering Russia’s manipulation of history and false historical narratives
On Thursday (7 December 2023), NATO Headquarters hosted a conference on “Countering the Russian Manipulation of History and False Historical Narratives”. A diverse group of speakers and participants gathered to analyse how Russia manipulates history and makes use of false historical narratives to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine. Participants included distinguished experts from academia, think tanks, civil society organisations, and official institutions from NATO Allies, Ukraine and other NATO partner countries, as well as the European Union.
The discussion highlighted ways in which Russia uses historical disinformation narratives to discredit and undermine international support to Ukraine, damaging the Ukrainian independence and sovereignty. In a keynote address, Prof. Dr. Andrii Portnov of the Viadrina Center of Polish and Ukrainian Studies emphasised the importance of advancing Ukraine’s own confident narrative as Ukrainians fight for freedom and democracy.
Panel discussions focused on Russia’s use of false historical narratives in support of its brutal war against Ukraine, raising awareness, understanding Russian tactics, building resilience, and countering Russia’s use of false historical narratives as well as oral history methods.
The event was organised in the framework of the NATO-Ukraine Platform on Countering Hybrid Warfare, which was launched in 2016 as a tool for NATO and Ukraine to facilitate exchanges on Russian hybrid tactics, including by developing tools to enhance resilience.