Research Report 11: How Ukraine Fights Russian Disinformation — Beehive vs Mammoth

Kalenský and Osadchuk's analysis of Ukrainian counter-disinformation practice since February 2022 introduces one of the most useful conceptual distinctions in the field: the contrast between the 'beehive' model of distributed, networked, civil-society-led counter-disinformation (Ukraine) and the 'mammoth' model of centralised, slow-moving, bureaucratic response (most Western institutions). The beehive's speed, adaptability, and resilience — properties that emerge from decentralisation rather than coordination — are precisely the qualities that institutional counter-disinformation efforts systematically lack.

The practical implications of this analysis are significant. Ukraine's counter-disinformation success is not primarily a function of superior resources or technology but of organisational model and civil society integration. The lesson for Western institutions is uncomfortable: the coordination mechanisms they have invested in — inter-agency processes, approval chains, centralised messaging — may be structural liabilities in a fast-moving information environment. This report is essential reading for anyone designing counter-disinformation institutional architecture.