Internet platforms as alternative sources of information during the Russian-Ukrainian war

Abstract

The deployment of Russian military aggression in Ukraine actualized the search for additional sources of information about hostilities. The war has shown that the official pro-Kremlin media is spreading outright propaganda. So, the demand for independent and operational information about the situation at the front has led to the emergence of individual observers who use available platforms for their activities. The purpose of the article is to analyze Internet platforms as alternative sources of information about the Russian-Ukrainian war. The research used methods of analysis and synthesis, prognostic method, content analysis. The results trace the peculiarities of the use of digital platforms as sources of information about Russian aggression. The main attention is paid to the peculiarities of work in social networks Facebook and Twitter (we are talking about the channels Hromadske.ua, InformNapalm), messengers (Telegram pages of the Center for countering disinformation at the NSDC, InformNapalm, DeepState). Attention is also drawn to independent OSINT researchers, whose reports made it possible to detect war crimes committed by the Russian army during the occupation of certain areas of Ukrainian territory. The conclusions emphasize the importance of further research into this vector, as independent groups of analysts actively use Internet platforms for work.