On March 19, 2025, U-M students enrolled in WCEE Scholar at Risk Fellow Katerina Sirinyok-Dolgaryova’s REEES course “Disinformation and Propaganda in Russian-Ukrainian War” participated in a lively discussion over Zoom with Ukrainian students at Zaporizhzhia National University. Both groups of students were tasked with researching prevalent examples of disinformation and propaganda related to the ongoing war in Ukraine and presenting their findings in small groups. 

Student presentations were preceded by opening remarks from Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia (WCEE) Director and Weiser Family Professor in European and Eurasian Studies Geneviève Zubrzycki and Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Projects at Zaporizhzhia National University Professor Olena Tupakhina. Zubrzycki thanked Sirinyok-Dolgaryova for her commitment to educating students, faculty, and the wider U-M community about Ukraine, and outlined WCEE’s multifaceted response to Russia’s full-scale invasion. Tupakhina expressed her gratitude for their American partners — for providing means to defend the skies in Ukraine, allowing her students to join the Zoom session from their classroom rather than a bomb shelter, and for support from the academic community which makes it possible for students to continue their research and studies. 

U-M students presented on various aspects of Russian propaganda, including efforts through state media and social media platforms to influence Ukrainian domestic and international politics by targeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s reputation and integrity. Their Ukrainian peers gave compelling presentations on how pro-Russian disinformation frequently demonizes Ukrainian refugees and targets discourse on the treatment of prisoners of war. For each presentation, students provided examples of related disinformation campaigns and explained how they analyzed and debunked the stories.

Students engaged in open discussion. Those from Ukraine were most interested in how Americans have changed their attitude toward global affairs since Russia invaded Ukraine and whether the American students have encountered disinformation about the war on their social media platforms. U-M students responded that they have noticed more anti-Ukraine comments to online news stories and TikTok posts since the Trump administration took office. U-M students were curious about how Ukrainians encounter propaganda since Russian sites are blocked, and the Ukrainians responded that this disinformation is very prevalent on social media, especially Telegram and YouTube.

“Organizing the joint seminar with Ukrainian and American students was a great experience — exciting and challenging at the same time,” commented Sirinyok-Dolgaryova. “Both sides expressed an interest to work with peers abroad. Dramatic political events and changes in American foreign policy, of course, only fueled this interest. The most important part of this exchange was that students had first-hand communication with each other. Their inferences were very similar: both Ukrainian and American students admitted that we need to put more efforts into educating our societies about the harmful impact of disinformation.”

When asked to reflect on the joint seminar, Zaporizhzhia National University student Alina Melnyk responded, “This was such a meaningful experience for us. It was a privilege and an amazing opportunity. It warms my heart how considerate and well-prepared the American students were. It shows how much they care about our situation, and it’s deeply appreciated."