Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, has warned that Russia is targeting Australians with fake narratives designed to “break down society from within.”
Speaking ahead of a major forum on Thursday at the University of Sydney, hosted by the United States Studies Centre, Ambassador Myroshnychenko said Russia’s disinformation campaigns have become powerful global tools influencing public debate far beyond Europe.
“Disinformation can appear during crises or wartime. We must learn to recognise and counter it before it spreads,” he said. “Australian society is resilient, but we can’t predict what might happen in the next few years.”
He will be joined by former Ukrainian diplomat Natalia Solieva and University of Sydney digital cultures lecturer Dr Olga Boichak, with Olivia Shen, the centre’s Director of Strategic Technologies, moderating the discussion.
Ms Solieva warned that “disinformation wars have no borders” and can emerge in any society, particularly “during elections or when communities are divided and vulnerable.”
The Ambassador added that Russian narratives are often echoed by China and that their shared objective is to “undermine trust in traditional media and weaken democracy.”
