Cognitive Dimension in Research on Information Wars and Social Communications

N. Balovsiak

Abstract


The purpose of the study is to conduct a comparative analysis of the evolution of theoretical approaches to information and cognitive wars and to outline the conceptual differences between these phenomena within the social communications paradigm in the context of contemporary hybrid threats, and, based on an analysis of specific cases – Russia's aggression against Ukraine and Operation Doppelgänger – to identify the mechanisms and manifestations of cognitive operations in the modern digital environment.

The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach that integrates comparative analysis of theoretical frameworks for conceptualizing information and cognitive wars in Western and Ukrainian scholarly traditions, system-structural method, discourse analysis of NATO doctrinal documents and scientific publications, historical-retrospective method, and theoretical synthesis aimed at integrating diverse approaches into a unified analytical framework.

Results. The study established qualitative differences between information and cognitive wars in terms of their object of influence, purpose, technological basis, and time horizon. Two cases of cognitive operations were examined: the evolution of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine from classical information warfare to complex cognitive operations (2014–2026), and Operation Doppelganger as an example of targeted cognitive influence on voters in EU countries, documented during the 2024 European Parliament elections.

The novelty of the study lies in a systematic conceptualization of the differences between information and cognitive wars within the social communications paradigm and in the introduction of a comparative analysis of two specific cognitive influence operations into scholarly discourse, demonstrating distinct strategies for shaping the cognitive environment of target societies.

The practical significance lies in the formulation of theoretically grounded approaches to countering cognitive operations at the level of media literacy, strategic communications, and public policy under conditions of hybrid threats, which may serve as a basis for developing institutional mechanisms of cognitive resilience in democratic societies.

Key words: cognitive warfare, information warfare, social communications, hybrid conflicts, cognitive dominance, strategic communications, NATO, Doppelganger, disinformation.


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.32840/cpu2219-8741/2026.1(65).1

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