On July 8, Mariupol State University hosted a workshop "Misinformation as a tool of hybrid warfare: the peculiarities of the spread and the opportunities for counteraction", which was attended by the representatives of diplomatic structures, the experts, the servicemen and the students. The event aimed to acquaint participants with the methods and the technologies of misinformation and means of counteracting it. 

The seminar was organized within the project "Information Wars against Ukraine and Other European Countries: Lithuania's Experience in Countering Propaganda", which is financially supported by the Program for Development and Cooperation of Democracy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and with the assistance of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Committee of Ukraine.

At the opening, the participants were greeted by Professor Kostyantyn Balabanov, Acting Rector of MSU, Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus in Mariupol and Andriy Vitrenko, the Chairman of the Center for Public Diplomacy, Ex-Vice Minister of Culture of Ukraine for European Integration

Kostyantyn Vasiliovych noted that MSU is actively developing friendly relations with Lithuania, in particular with Lithuanian higher educational institutions. In 2016, the University had the honor of hosting the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius, as well as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine Marius Janukonis.

During the event, Kateryna Smagliy, the Head of the International Cooperation and Communications Department of the Gennady Udovenko at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iryna Zhovta, Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iryna Zhovta, Chief Specialist of the Department of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine, the experts in communications, information wars issues and information security, as well as the scientists from Vilnius University and Mariupol State University.

The participants discussed information challenges and threats, namely countering propaganda at the local and state levels, the importance of strengthening independent media, countering manipulation and its impact through the television and the Internet. The practical part of the event contributed to the acquisition of skills in fake recognition and critical analysis of the information.