CONFRONTING RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION IN UKRAINE: A TANGLED SKEIN

ABSTRACT

In a surprise move in February 2021, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, closed down three pro-Russian television channels and imposed sanctions on their owners. This was unprecedented, both from the point of view of being an infringement on freedom of speech (or of disinformation) and of the use of sanctions in the domestic context, usually aimed at foreign entities or persons. Nor was the timing evidently opportune, in the absence of any apparent trigger. As one Ukrainian journalist expressed it "Why had Ukraine hesitated to sanction top-tier pro-Russian actors before and can current measures blunt Russian influence on Ukrainian politics?"2 Since Russian disinformation in Ukraine has been a constant factor since independence, particularly following the orange Revolution, this article sets out to assess the rationale for Zelenskyy's abrupt action within the context of Ukrainian politics and its possible effectiveness.