There’s Another Battle Taking Place in Ukraine – the Information Battle

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has revealed the importance of information warfare in the modern era more than any other in history. Social media has often been the battleground, with Russia using various platforms to promote propaganda and disinformation to hide the truth. However, Ukrainian volunteer groups and advertising agencies worldwide have fought back using digital marketing campaigns to counter Russian propaganda, which, despite their limited resources and prospects of daily terror, have had a huge impact on turning the tide back in Ukraine’s favor on the digital battlefield.

A lot of companies and agencies are involved in this fightback, using their resources and extensive networks to accomplish hugely impressive goals. Examples include the Ukrainian ad agency Banda, which struck a deal with the Ukraine government in the early weeks of the war to promote the everyday bravery being shown by regular people and inspire mass resistance; the  German web agency that posted a script which, when included in a web page with a Russian IP, pushed a pop-up ad to the visitor telling them that their government was lying to them; and the London digital marketing expert who crowdfunded targeted ads that pushed Russian readers to independent Russian-language news sources about the conflict. By late 2022, this latter effort had reached two million people, with volunteers even discussing how to hack into digital billboards on the Moscow Metro.

These achievements, and many more that are yet to even be conceived, represent an incredible blend of willpower, creativity, and dedication, sometimes in extreme circumstances.

The Fightback Begins

Few would have expected digital media companies to be at the heart of the effort to repel the Russian advance, but this is exactly what is happening. The prospect of a unique and, to those companies based in Ukraine, very personal challenge, has fostered a new mindset and has energized the individuals working for these companies. As a result, they have come up with unique ways to not just counter Russian propaganda and cyber terrorism, but take the challenge to the Russians.

Early efforts focused on digital ad campaigns aimed at raising money for Ukraine's armed forces, but when misinformation and propaganda from Russia’s famous St Petersburg ‘troll factory’ began to spread across the world via social media, adverts, and Telegram groups, these groups changed their mindset - soon, the aim was countering these lies. These efforts were conducted from the front line by those under direct threat of attack.

One of the companies that have really stepped up to the plate is the crypto-focused advertising agency Bitmedia, which has found itself not only influencing the opinions of Russian citizens in their own country but has also had a direct impact on the front line. Bitmedia is focused on the cryptocurrency space, typically working with clients in this sector, and if anything has proved the power of crypto in recent years it’s the Ukraine conflict; the various organizations campaigning for crypto donations have raised over $70 million, including through the sale of government-issued NFTs.

Bitmedia started by deploying its internal resources to counter Russian propaganda and paint a picture of the actual situation in Ukraine, using information from less partisan organizations so that people across the globe could get a more honest perspective of the effect the war was having on Ukraine and its people. Another aim was to show people in Russia and its Russia-controlled neighbor Belarus the massive loss of life and property that was taking place in Ukraine, which was being hidden from them. The hope was to help these citizens evaluate their support for the war and take steps to stop the mindless destruction by holding their government accountable.

The digital outreach achieved by Bitmedia has reportedly yielded massive results - the company says it has recorded more than three billion impressions of banner ads shown to people living in Russia and Belarus and more than two billion impressions for the content shown to people in Europe. Public support for the war in Russia has reportedly diminished in the year since it started, with the British Ministry of Defence claiming in December 2022 that it found public backing to be “falling significantly” at the time. Similarly, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace found in March that the number of hardline supporters has “not grown substantially” as the Kremlin would have hoped. This shows that the messages regarding the truth of the war are getting through, and Bitmedia’s role in helping the truth get to the usually sheltered citizenry can’t be underestimated.

Front Line Impact

Bitmedia hasn’t just taken the fight to Russia on the virtual front. It has tapped up its extensive network of contacts and supporters across Europe and has helped equip Ukrainian soldiers with crucial equipment such as vehicles, walkie-talkies, clothing, and most importantly, food and medical supplies. With a solid pipeline to the front line in place, it focused on restoring a sense of normalcy – as much as the situation would allow – for those most affected by the war, launching a fundraiser to support orphans in children's shelters in the West of Ukraine and the Kyiv region. The funds raised were deployed to spread the spirit of Christmas in the shelters to create an environment of love and care and give them a sense of belonging and happiness during a particularly difficult time.

Ukraine’s Post-war Vision

The war in Ukraine has brought to light the shifting nature of information warfare in modern conflicts and the various ways in which online media can be used to de-escalate conflict as well as stoke it. With the rise of social media and the decentralization of traditional media sources, ordinary people have become crucial players in disseminating information to counter government propaganda. The ability to use modern communication methods to wage wars beyond a combatant’s borders is not a new phenomenon, but the internet has destroyed traditional barriers to mass communication and has allowed individuals to engage in information warfare on a bigger scale than ever before.

In Ukraine, ordinary citizens have taken to social media to share their stories and experiences of the conflict, posting photos and videos of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians standing up to Russian forces to spur on the country’s defenders and citizens. This has been facilitated by the country's high level of computer literacy and education, allowing for more sophisticated use of social media for resistance and information sharing. Companies have been inspired by these grassroots movements and have built on their efforts to make a real difference in the conflict.

Attention is already turning to how the talents, creativity, and dedication already shown by these digital freedom fighters in Ukraine can be used to benefit the country once the war is won. Plans are already in place to rebuild the most affected and least-developed regions of the country, providing its residents with internet access and promoting cryptocurrency adoption as an independent means of payment. Bitmedia and its charity organization Bitmedia Charity Fund also plan to invest more of its resources into educating Ukrainians nationwide about the massive transformational potential of cryptocurrencies so they can understand the role that the new form of currency can play in democratizing financial freedom and security.

It’s fair to say that companies would not have expected to be in the position of using their talents and experience to influence an international war taking place so close to home, but the real-world results that they, and all online Ukrainian resistance members, have shown to date is an example of what can be achieved today on the digital battlefield.