From 15 to 17 June 2026, the Council of Europe* supported a three-day simulation-based practical exercise on “Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) in Elections”, bringing together representatives of key Ukrainian institutions involved in protecting the integrity of post-war elections.
The exercise gathered participants from the Central Election Commission and other relevant national authorities, including from national security and intelligence sector, cyber and information security authorities, strategic communications and counter-disinformation bodies, media regulator, as well as relevant ministries and agencies.
Opening the event, Maciej JANCZAK, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, highlighted the growing importance of protecting democratic processes from information threats. “Protecting the integrity of the information environment is now an essential element of democratic security. When citizens lose confidence in the information they receive, informed public debate weakens, trust in institutions declines, and democratic resilience is undermined,” he noted.
Chair of the Central Election Commission Oleh DIDENKO stressed that strengthening resilience to foreign information manipulation and interference is an essential element of preparations for future post-war elections in Ukraine. “Examples from across Europe and beyond show that foreign actors increasingly seek to influence democratic processes through coordinated disinformation and information manipulation campaigns. Ukraine must be prepared to identify and counter such threats effectively, and exercises like this help build the cooperation and readiness required to protect the integrity of future elections,” he said.
Designed as a realistic, scenario-based training activity, the exercise focused on strengthening interagency cooperation and enhancing national capacities to respond to complex threats targeting the electoral process. Participants worked through a simulated large-scale disinformation campaign combined with elements of a broader hybrid attack, including cyber incidents, attempts to disrupt information and communication systems, coordinated manipulation in the media environment, and malicious actions by both external and internal actors.
Throughout the three-day exercise, participants navigated a series of evolving crisis situations designed to simulate a large-scale disinformation campaign targeting the electoral process, enabling them to test interagency coordination, information-sharing procedures, and response mechanisms. By working through realistic scenario, participants strengthened their understanding of roles and responsibilities and explored practical approaches to early detection, prevention, and response to information threats.
For Ukraine, which continues to face persistent hybrid aggression, protecting future post-war electoral process from foreign information manipulation and interference remains a critical component of national security. Effective resilience against such threats depends not only on the capacities of individual institutions but also on a coherent system of interagency cooperation, enabling timely information exchange, coordinated action, and effective decision-making and response.
The simulation exercise forms part of the Council of Europe’s ongoing support to Ukraine in strengthening democratic resilience and electoral integrity. By enhancing preparedness and fostering cooperation among relevant authorities, the initiative contributes to building a comprehensive national response framework capable of addressing complex election related information threats and protecting democratic processes from foreign interference.
*The activity was organised within the framework and with the support of the Council of Europe project “Supporting democratic post-war elections in Ukraine – Phase II”, implemented by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023–2026.
