INFORMATION SECURITY AS PART OF PUBLIC POLICY AGAINST COLLABORATIONISM

Abstract

The contemporary challenges to Ukraine’s information security in the context of full-scale war and hybrid aggression by the russian federation have been analysed in the paper. It has been identified that information security constitutes an integral component of public policy, as the information space serves as a channel for implementing key instruments of disinformation, propaganda, and psychological influence on the population. It has been substantiated that effective counteraction to collaborationism is impossible without systemic coordination among state institutions, in particular the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security, and the Centre for Countering Disinformation, each performing clearly defined functions and tasks. It has been researched that in the process of public policy implementation, the development of legal mechanisms of responsibility for cooperation with the enemy is crucial, along with the introduction of strategic communication tools aimed at strengthening societal resilience. The special role of criminal-legal instruments in countering collaborative activities is determined, while the significance of preventive and educational measures fostering critical thinking and information hygiene among citizens has been emphasized. It has been clarified that traditional stages of intelligence and threat detection are combined with data flows generated by civilians and subsequently verified through satellite technologies, radically reducing the timeframe for identifying potential threats and making informed decisions. At the same time, questions arise regarding the observance of human rights, the ethics and legitimacy of such monitoring, which pose additional challenges to the democratic structure of the state. It has been concluded that ensuring information security during wartime requires the integration of legal, organizational, and technological instruments, which strengthens national security, reduces the risks of internal destabilization, and ensures an effective public policy of countering collaborationism.