Within the framework of the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (EU CBRN CoE) Initiative and under the aegis of the 2024 Italian Presidency of the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) organized the tabletop exercise “Krypton vs Iron” in Kyiv, Ukraine on 19 July 2024. This exercise was a follow-up to a two-day training on disinformation that UNICRI had previously organized in Kyiv in July 2023.
The event was attended by 38 Ukrainian experts from 20 governmental ministries and agencies, including the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, among others. Experts from the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the local fact-checking NGOs, “VoxUkraine” and “Detector Media,” also participated in the event.
Participants were divided into two teams, named Krypton and Iron. The Krypton Team represented an extremist organisation with a large online base whose purpose was to create disinformation and jeopardize the credibility of governments or international organizations. The Iron Team represented a government or international organization, aimed at preventing and responding to disinformation created by the Krypton Team. This dynamic allowed participants to practise their response to a disinformation campaign in real time. It also provided participants with an opportunity to increase their awareness of the potential impact of CBRN disinformation on governments or international organizations and to understand the complexity of effectively using resources to debunk disinformation.
Participants expressed positive feedback on the training, highlighting a clear demand for continued training and resources in combating CBRN disinformation. The feedback also underlined the importance of practical skills, cross-agency collaboration, and the use of a wide array of tools in addressing the challenges of disinformation in Ukraine.
Background
Since 2020, UNICRI has been monitoring the malicious use of social media and analysing existing technology options to detect and debunk false information. This effort aims to understand the advantages and possible challenges of each option, both in the short and long term. Last year, the Institute published its findings as part of the Handbook to debunk CBRN disinformation, a practical guide designed for individuals or agencies involved in CBRN risk mitigation at different levels. UNICRI is now providing related capacity-building activities to partner countries.
To learn more about UNICRI's work in addressing CBRN disinformation, please click here.
