Given the danger of cognitive warfare, we must begin forming a coalition and institutions right now to counter Russian information influence, with Ukraine playing a key role.
This was stated by Peter Pomerantsev, a senior research fellow at Johns Hopkins University, during his speech at the Kyiv Stratcom Forum 2026, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
The researcher answered in the affirmative when asked about the possibility of Western democracies joining forces in the information and cognitive spheres and creating a corresponding coalition.
“We simply have no choice. The front line isn’t moving much right now, and we can already see how much of the enemy’s energy is being directed toward cognitive warfare—it’s influencing Ukraine, the West, Trump’s mind, and its own people. If and when there is a pause in the war, everything will shift to the information space, and we need to prepare for this now,” said Pomerantsev.
He recalled that during the “Cold War,” the United States played the role of the “backbone” and “driving force” in the information war, implementing a whole series of large-scale programs.
