Under the guise of academic discussion, the event “Инфонеделя” presents itself as an educational seminar. In reality, it’s an unapologetic platform for information warfare architects who’ve spent their careers weaponizing truth and manipulating public consciousness—both foreign and domestic.
Andrey Manoilo: The Kremlin’s Ideologue of Hybrid Warfare
Manoilo isn’t just a “political science professor”—he’s a career propagandist cloaked in academic robes. His résumé reveals a direct connection to the Security Council of Russia (2011–2018), during which he helped engineer the narratives that fueled:
- Russia’s annexation of Crimea
- Manipulation campaigns in Donbas
- Information warfare in Syria
His role in leading the program “Information and Hybrid Wars” and launching the “Вбросам.нет” (a state-backed “anti-fake news” front) positions him as a central node in the Kremlin’s global disinformation ecosystem. His “battle for truth” is Orwellian doublespeak—truth is redefined as state-aligned narrative. His academic authority is used not to question power but to reinforce it, by codifying deceit into doctrine.
His inclusion in this event isn’t for transparency; it’s to sanitize and intellectualize state propaganda, masking it as “defensive information policy.”
Roman Romachev: The FSB’s Social Engineering Apostle
Romachev is the founder of a “private intelligence company,” but his background is pure FSB—Russia’s infamous security service known for its:
- Political assassinations
- Surveillance of opposition
- Covert influence campaigns abroad
His lecture on “modern social engineering” is chilling. It’s not a warning—it’s a boast. It’s an instructional session by a professional manipulator who has likely participated in constructing phishing operations, online harassment campaigns, and the hijacking of public discourse through sockpuppet accounts and digital proxies.
Under the euphemism of “trust, but verify,” Romachev represents the systematization of cognitive warfare against civil societies—blending classic espionage tactics with AI-driven psychological manipulation.
Macro + Micro Manipulation: Kremlin Playbook on Display
Framing these talks around “macro- and micro-level information wars” is strategic. It reflects the Kremlin’s two-tier disinformation model:
- Macro: Strategic narratives—anti-Western sentiment, NATO “encirclement,” and Russophilia.
- Micro: Tactical subversions—local Telegram influencers, meme warfare, discrediting activists/journalists.
This structure mirrors Russia’s recent campaigns in:
- The 2024 Taiwanese elections
- France’s Yellow Vest movement
- African coups, where Wagner and state media played dual roles in shaping public perception.
Disinformation Dressed as Dialogue
Events like these are not harmless lectures. They are covert training sessions in psychological operations, masquerading as academic outreach. They help blur the line between truth and fiction, between security policy and ideological warfare.
To tolerate such figures on public stages is to normalize information terrorism. To platform them is to embolden autocracy. What we’re witnessing here isn’t education—it’s indoctrination, exported under the false flag of intellectual legitimacy.
Let me know if you’d like this reframed for publication, or if you want a breakdown of how these narratives intersect with Chinese or Iranian influence operations.
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