John Gallacher

Dr John Gallacher is the founder and director of Alethio, a tech startup building machine learning tools for open-source intelligence. Prior to this, he worked as a research scientist for the UK Government, served with the British Army, and worked for NATO. He is also a visiting researcher at the Alan Turing Institute’s Defence and Security Programme and holds a PhD from the University of Oxford.

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Talk: What have we learned about Russian Information Operations from the war in Ukraine?

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine has unfolded, the Kremlin and its proxies have utilised a broad range of Information Operations to support their military activities, mask their operational planning, and attempt to undermine Ukraine's international support. From a Western perspective, it appears that these efforts have largely been unsuccessful, but closer examination reveals that there are important lessons to be learned about the tactics and strategies used within these Information Operations. This talk explores these lessons, including the ways in which reactive activities have replaced proactive planning, the adaptability of the Russian information ecosystem to European and US media sanctions, and the susceptibility of audiences outside the West to Russian influence.