Riigikogu Toimetised No. 51 focuses on information warfare

“In the information society, information is power,” says Editor-in-Chief of RiTo Marju Himma, Associate Professor of Journalism Studies at the University of Tartu. “In the information society, the creation, spreading and use of information are of key importance to economic, social and cultural life. This proves the central role of information.”

Information warfare and hybrid war were also in the focus of the RiTo conversation circle, where Peeter Tali (Estonia 200), Andre Hanimägi (Social Democratic Party), Varro Vooglaid (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Karmen Joller (Reform Party), Ants Frosch (Isamaa) and Vadim Belobrovtsev (Estonian Centre Party) participated.

In a few months’ time, the people of Estonia will be electing local government councils. As the experience of elections in other countries shows, no democracy is today immune to external influences, to electoral manipulation. In the latest issue of RiTo, Master’s Student of political science at Tallinn University Oleksii Shpak addresses the main threats of propaganda and disinformation in the context of the 2025 local elections. He identifies social media, artificial intelligence, dark enlightenment and the polarisation of young people as key risks. Shpak points out that Estonia can successfully counter these risks, for example, by drawing on the Swedish model.

“People love stories, have loved stories for thousands of years. Therefore, spreading of stories, or to be more precise, spreading of narratives is one of the weapons of information warfare. Narratives are the ammunition of propaganda machine,” Himma says. Therefore, it is important to study which narratives Russia has used in history and which narratives it is using today to manipulate the minds of people.

Professor of political and sociosemiotics at University of Tartu Andreas Ventsel, and researchers Holger Mölder and Vladimir Sazonov, who study the manifestations of hybrid war, write on these topics.

Both in kinetic warfare and in hybrid warfare, many other everyday things take place alongside it – and it is also so in RiTo. In RiTo 51, you can find a number of articles that discuss our everyday lives. For example, young assistant physicians write about the obstacles and risks they face in their work due to the language barrier. Mare Ainsaar, Associate Professor in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Tartu, analyses trust in the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR). She points out that the largest group that does not trust the ERR is among the Russian-speaking residents, who do not trust other state institutions either.

Education researchers Katrin Saks and Äli Leijen give an overview of the results of PISA 2022 regarding the learning strategies, motivation and mindset of our students. Prominent economic and social experts paint a rather sobering picture of Estonia’s energy strategies. All articles of the RiTo are available on the Riigikogu Toimetised web page.

You can exchange ideas with the authors and editors, and hold the fresh issue of RiTo in your hands at the presentation on 11 June at 11 a.m. in the Art Gallery on the first floor of Toompea Palace, where Junior Research Fellow of the University of Tartu Kaarel Lott will give a talk about the radicalisation of young men.

In the RiTo panel discussion, Henrik Praks, Researcher at the International Centre for Defence Studies and hybrid warfare researcher, and Peeter Tali, Member of the Riigikogu with strategic communication expertise, will discuss hybrid warfare and information manipulation. The panel will be moderated by Editor-in-Chief of RiTo Marju Himma.

The presentation can also be watched live online and later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Toimetised (“RiTo, Proceedings of the Riigikogu) is a parliamentary journal that has been issued since 2000. It covers various topics that are of importance for society. The journal is meant for all those who are interested in politics and society, and it is published twice a year.

For more information, please contact:
Marju Himma
Editor-in-Chief of Riigikogu Toimetised
+372 5341 0997
marju.himma@ut.ee

Riigikogu Press Service
Maiki Vaikla
+372 631 6456, +372 5666 9508
maiki.vaikla@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Riigikogu Toimetised No. 51 focuses on information warfare

Source: Parliament of Estonia