To counter the pro-Russian narrative in the world, Ukraine must offer a pro-Ukrainian alternative, Vivian Volcker, executive director of the US State Department Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, said at a press conference at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, according to Voice of America..

Ukraine should talk about the unique qualities of Ukrainian culture and identity, illustrate the shortcomings in Putin's story about Ukraine. I see it as a kind of containment strategy,” she said at an event called “Culture –? the main goal of the Russian war in Ukraine"

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According to Vivian Walker, such a strategy involves overcoming ideology not by attacks in the cultural space, but by providing a "

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To achieve this, Vivian Walker recommends following a few rules.. First, be based on real facts, so as not to fall into the trap of unconsciously repeating the false narrative about Ukraine. For example, she calls on experts and journalists to stop using the phrase "

And secondly, to carefully approach the definition of the role of Ukraine in the so-called geostrategic confrontation between Russia and the United States for power and global space, which is often emphasized by Russian propaganda.

“We should talk about this [the war in Ukraine] not as a struggle between two super-states, but as it really is - a struggle between two countries in the same region.. This will help put Ukraine in the global space as a significant competitor, both on the battlefield and in the information space,” said Vivian Walker.

She recalled that the US government is already helping in efforts to counter the Russian narrative.. In particular, through the broadcasting of American media in Ukraine - "

In turn, the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Oksana Markarova, stressed that Russia uses culture in war as a weapon tool.. She recalled the recent incident at the Cannes Film Festival, from which Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov called on the international community to lift sanctions on some Russian oligarchs..

“This question is much broader than about Ukraine. To have at least a chance for peace, any chance for another Russia, we have to be very honest and frank about how Russians use Russian culture as a weapon,” Markarova said..

“There are still people who are pushing this narrative – to cancel Putin, but not Pushkin. It is quite obvious to me that these people, unfortunately, have not read Pushkin.. If they read some of his works, they would understand that everything Putin does is all there, in his works.. You can call it propaganda or persecution not only against Ukraine, but also against any neighbor of Russia,” Markarova added..

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The cultural element in the current war plays no less a role than the military one, Vladimir Sheiko, general director of the Ukrainian Institute, is convinced.

“For decades, Russia has used culture to establish, propagate, disseminate xenophobic, pro-war sentiments, messages and narratives that have oppressed neighboring countries, attempted to take away the identities of other countries or communities that (as Russia believed) belonged to the sphere of its geopolitical interests,” shares.

It's time to allow Ukrainians to be heard - calls the Director General of the Ukrainian Institute.