In the trenches of a hybrid war

Ukrainian deputy Anton Gerashchenko - about the information confrontation with Russia

Facebook Anton Gerashchenko, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, one of the most noticeable Ukrainian public figures on the Internet, was briefly blocked after he proposed publishing information about Russian citizens, as a deputy, "who took part in the undeclared war of Russia against the Syrian people." This was preceded by the emergence of Russian military personnel on Syria on the air of Russian television.

The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case against Gerashchenko under an article on “public calls for terrorist activities”: “In fact, Gerashchenko supported and spread the idea of his interlocutor on a social network that“ terrorists and their brothers in Russia will be able to avenge Russian military personnel. ”

In an interview with Radio, Freedom Anton Gerashchenko said that modern wars are won not by bombs, but by information.

- What happened to your Facebook?

- As I understand it, Russian information troops tried to block it. When they did it, they decided to make Russian information weapons from this. Literally all Russian information resources reported this as a great victory. Some observers even believe that there were fewer messages about the bombing of Syria with winged missiles than about the blocking of my Facebook.

- How did you manage to unlock it? Did you do something?

- I think that Facebook figured out that it was wrong to block the Facebook of the Ukrainian politician, a people's deputy for his call to record war crimes. And so Facebook works automatically. Tens of thousands of complaints from Moscow are contacted there. Thus, the resources of many of my colleagues were blocked, including deputy Boris Filatov, a number of famous Ukrainian journalists.

- You called on to record information about Russian troops in Syria on the Peacemaker website. You have no ethical difficulties here? These are soldiers. They are fighting.

- We record only those who are in the public domain. If stupid Russian propagandists report information about their military, then why not fix it, especially since it is public? We also record the names, surnames, contacts of those military who are fighting against Ukraine and participate in all conflicts, unleashed by Putin against the whole world. In the future, this will be a kind of center of Simon Wizenthal, who will track the further punishment of war criminals. For example, the Americans mistakenly bombed the hospital in Afghanistan. They took responsibility for this, they will conduct an investigation, and, most likely, those who made this mistake will be held accountable. If this happens with the Russians who hide information about who shot down, for example, Boeing, they have to conduct investigations and publish their names for all kinds of non -governmental organizations. For example,the research group said that she had already established four persons who brought the Buk to Snezhnoye, from where the Malaysian liner was amazed. If their surnames are published, will this be right or not?

- In principle, this is the case of the court when it is.

- If the names and names of these people are published, who are directly responsible for the launch of the Buk missile, then I believe that it will be positive. Because then let them decide for themselves - to work with the investigation and name who gave them the team, or to bear responsibility on their own.

- In Syria, Russia declares that its servicemen are fighting the Islamic State.

- If everything was so good - this is one question. But in fact, they are struggling there not with ISIS, but with the moderate opposition to President Assad, which is supported by Europe and the USA, which they are trying to make an alternative to the dictatorial regime Assad.

-In Ukraine, they perceive the Syrian operation of Russia as in a sense the continuation of the Ukrainian war?

- The war of Russia in Syria and Ukraine is interconnected things. By entering the Syrian conflict, Putin wants to show his status, the possibilities of his armed forces. He wants to agree with him, so that in relation to him not to be applied in the future, both for Boeing and the annexation of Crimea.

-When Putin went to the Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, there were many assumptions that he was trying to “exchange” Ukraine for Syria. Do you think he succeeds? Are you afraid that the West will take and "exchange"?

-I hope that Western leaders who studied history well remember that Hitler's peace policy in the 30s led only to the development of his impudence, aggressiveness. And the results were very deplorable. Therefore, it is best to strangle dictates in the bud and give them hands at once. I hope that the Western world will not meet Putin in the Syrian conflict and will not give Ukraine.

-The fact that Russia switched in a sense to Syria entailed some consequences in the east of Ukraine? Is it possible to say that actions are less active there?

- To date, Putin hid. He signed a number of documents that allow Donbass to light up. However, I regard this as an opportunity to lure Ukraine into a further trap and try to push society in Ukraine with foreheads on the issue of elections in the occupied part of Donbass. I do not believe any statements by either Putin or his puppets. Only a strong state of Ukraine with a powerful army, with a security service, will be able to make the situation in Ukraine safe.

- negotiations in Paris. There are two opposite points of view. Someone believes that Putin has won and now Ukraine will have to deal with the eastern regions, and this is such a sent Cossack. What would be more profitable for Ukraine if these agreements were broken?

- At this stage, there are no winners and losers. The negotiation process continues, where one question is that Russia withdraw its troops and disarm terrorists, another question is to hold elections there. But it is impossible to hold elections without disarmament of gangs of terrorists and militants.

- Returning to the story with Facebook, how important is the confrontation on the Internet? You are actively involved in it. Why is this necessary?

- In the modern world, the war is won not by the number of soldiers, the number of tons of bombs, brought up on the heads of people, but by the fact that the population of a particular territory that is subjected to aggression, according to the adoption of the winners. This is done due to the information war, due to the fact that residents lose their will to resist and surrender to the aggressor. This is an attribute of the so -called hybrid war. Putin wages a real hybrid war against Ukraine. He does everything to ensure that the inhabitants of Ukraine, especially the Russian -speaking residents of Ukraine, do not trust their power and believe in Russian politics. In part, he achieved his goal, as for the occupied territories of Donbass. But in general, in Ukraine, he did not achieve his goal. He wanted to restore about eight regions, but only a piece of two turned out. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct counter -propaganda, important. And in the near future we will accept the law on foreign language in a foreign language about events in Ukraine so that people around the world have a reverse point of view.

- From what you said, it follows that this is important for the Ukrainian population. Why an alienation? Who are you going to explain something else?

- Putin created a large broadcasting system for Western countries in foreign languages (English, German, French) so that citizens of Western countries are subjected to live propaganda so that they influence their governments and force them to be friends with Putin. Our task is to show the truth. A typical example is the situation with a shot down by the Malaysian Boeing. What is Russia's position on this issue? This was shot down by Ukrainians, it was shot down by UFOs, it is not known who. And all this is broadcast through their channels to the west. Ukraine now does not have the opportunity to deliver its information to the West. We make it so that it is possible, and show the truth.

- You are talking about the war of propaganda. What is the strategy of Ukraine in the desire for victory - this is a war on the Internet, is it a confrontation where Ukrainian soldiers fight in eastern Ukraine, or are you waiting for Russia to stop economic problems?

- There must be a rally of the people of Ukraine around the idea of building a prosperous, happy, legal European state. When Ukraine through years will become a modern European state, then citizens of Russia will ask the question - why is their country, which has natural resources, oil, gas, poorer than Ukraine? So far, unfortunately, the opposite. But we have something to strive for.