The widespread dissemination of Russian propaganda has risen to the level of a serious crisis. “The spread of Russian propaganda can be likened to COVID – it is invisible, the paths of its spread are complex, and it can reach unexpectedly large numbers of people. We must not forget that while Ukraine is fighting a battle on the front lines, it is also fighting a battle in the media and on social media, and it is very important for Russia to win the information war,” Nagel said.

 

The aim of this year’s conference was to discuss what is happening in the media during the war and what obstacles Ukrainian journalists face. “The conference also aimed to keep the focus on the situation in Ukraine, and discussed how to bring the attention of the world’s press back to Ukraine,” he said. “For Ukraine, the biggest threat is being overlooked or forgotten. The support of the West is very much needed, and this is also a clearly linked to the attention given to Ukrainian situation”.

 

Nagel participated in the panel together with Aliona Romaniuk (Ukrainian journalist, media expert) (Ukraine), Grzegorz Rzeczkowski, (Poland, Newsweek journalist) and Przemyslaw Witkowski (Poland, journalist). The conference was co-sponsored by the European Union, the United States Embassy in Kiev, USAID, OSCE, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, Journalists Without Borders and the City of Warsaw.

 

Donbas Media Forum is an annual conference that brings together journalists and media managers from Ukraine and around the world, providing an opportunity to discuss current issues of the profession and establish communication. Founded by the media organization DII-Ukraine in 2015.