No such thing as a "hybrid" threat – just threats

All of them are more real than ever and are completely measurable in their consequences: the loss of political independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty, aggressive policy towards neighbors and joining the Alliance of Evil, even if you formally declare your belonging to the free world.

We live in a time when international law is undergoing the most difficult tests, and elections are easy to hack without a proper protection system. The example of the recent presidential elections in Romania is extremely telling, because we saw the scale of influence through social media on the results of the vote in a country that is a member of the EU and NATO. Russia could have avoided committing the crime of aggression against Ukraine using its own armed forces if it had been able to install its own candidate as Ukraine's leader.

The latter is much cheaper. In the history of independent Ukraine, the Kremlin's attempts to have "its own" people at various levels of power were successful.

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine with large columns of soldiers. They believed their intelligence and billions of dollars, poured into Ukraine's political life and media, guaranteed an easy victory. Russia expected no public resistance and a calm acceptance of the occupation by Ukrainians. But their plan failed. My compatriots are accustomed to having the right to choose, truly. However, Russia hasn't lost yet. They learn very quickly from their mistakes and now work to create divisions in societies, cause a loss of the will to win, and conduct information and psychological special operations. These operations target emotions, preventing people from acting rationally in moments of crisis.

Fear in societies under threat fuels the electoral success of extremist political groups and populists. Thanks to political and economic globalization, these trends now span entire regions, rather than being confined within national borders. Recent elections in several stable democracies clearly illustrate this phenomenon.

Elections are still largely approached with an "analog" mindset, despite our entry into a digital age characterized by highly individualized engagement with voters' fears, concerns, and aspirations. Social media and messaging platforms have provided direct access to voters' minds, leveraged by both principled politicians and adversaries. Algorithms and artificial intelligence within social networks increasingly steer individuals towards a pre-determined perception of reality. This constitutes an element of political engineering and polarization, undermining fair electoral competition.

I believe the foundation of fair and free elections rests on genuine political competition and voters' access to truth. If the opportunity to freely form political will is absent, can it truly be called an election? We are witnessing widespread disinformation, the incitement of ideological divisions, and the degradation and discrediting of democratic standards and values.

Theses from a speech in the European Parliament on June 5, 2025

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About the author. Olha Aivazovska, Chair of the Board of the Global Network of National Election Observers (GNDEM)

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.