On 8 December 2015 in Brussels, Belgium, Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij addressed a session of the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee of the European Parliament chaired by Andrej Plenković dedicated to the “Exchange of views on EU strategic communication and the hybrid war in Ukraine.”

The UWC President emphasized that, in addition to his military offensives, the Russian President has launched a disinformation campaign to distract from the very real threat being posed by Russian aggression to the independence and territorial integrity of sovereign countries, the European community, Western values and global security. In 2014 alone, Russia dedicated 643 million Euros from its state budget to support the promotion by Russian media of President Putin’s “Russkiy Mir” or “Russian World”.

Eugene Czolij commended the Action Plan on Strategic Communication developed by the European External Action Service as a positive step toward demonstrating that the international community has recognized the revisionist geopolitical objectives of President Putin and acknowledged the magnitude and influence of Russia’s disinformation tactics.

To strengthen the Action Plan, however, the UWC President recommended stronger measures specifically designed to counter the Russian narrative and, more importantly, address the effect of the manipulation of information on core democratic values and global security. These measures must include fully exposing the Russian agenda, explaining the reasons for the disinformation campaign and broadening the strategy to include the West.

“The international community must stay focused on what is at stake, develop solutions that unequivocally articulate the threat we face, and communicate why this issue is important to every individual for whom freedom and democracy are paramount,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.

A video excerpt of the remarks of the UWC President can be seen here.

The UWC is the international coordinating body for Ukrainian communities in the diaspora representing the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians. The UWC has member organizations in 34 countries and ties with Ukrainians in 14 additional countries. Founded in 1967, the UWC was recognized in 2003 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with special consultative status.