Hybrid aggression against Ukraine as a challenge for modernizing legal policy in the field of information security

Abstract

The article examines the specific features of the hybrid aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine in the information domain and substantiates the necessity of modernizing the national legal policy in the field of information security. It emphasizes that the informational dimension of modern conflicts has become one of the key tools of influence, while information warfare constitutes an integral part of hybrid aggression. Since 2014, and especially following the full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has faced a powerful wave of disinformation, propaganda, manipulation via social media, cyberattacks, and attempts by the enemy to undermine the moral and psychological resilience of society. The analysis shows that the current legal policy of Ukraine remains fragmented, reactive, and insufficiently effective under the conditions of dynamic informational threats. The paper outlines the main shortcomings of the existing legal framework: the absence of a codified legislative act in the field of information security, lack of coordination between responsible actors, insufficient legal instruments to combat disinformation, low attention to media literacy, and the absence of clear procedures for the protection of citizens’ information rights. The article proposes specific directions for the modernization of legal policy: adoption of an Information Code of Ukraine, improvement of the sanction mechanism, revision of institutional powers, implementation of mandatory media education, integration of European standards into the regulation of online platforms, and strengthening of judicial protection in information-related legal relations. It concludes that a strategic modernization of legal policy in the field of information security is a critical prerequisite for ensuring the state’s informational sovereignty, effectively countering hybrid threats, and affirming the values of democratic rule of law under wartime conditions. In the face of new challenges, the state is obliged to move from a fragmented response to a strategic and holistic approach, which involves codification of legislation, effective coordination of actors, development of preventive mechanisms, ensuring human rights and freedoms, and implementation of international standards.