IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/rpsaxx/v41y2025i4p263-288.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The invisible front: Ukraine’s IT army and the evolution of cyber resistance

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Lysenko
  • Seva Gunitsky

Abstract

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 saw the emergence of a new actor: the IT Army of Ukraine (ITAU), a volunteer cyber force that countered Russian disinformation and targeted its digital spaces. We argue that the ITAU contributed to Ukraine’s political victory in the Battle of Kyiv by projecting national resilience to both domestic audiences and international observers. By countering Russian cyberattacks and mounting its own offensive campaigns, the ITAU not only disrupted enemy capabilities but also bolstered domestic morale and helped shape global perceptions of Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. This resistance contributed to Ukraine’s overall hybrid resilience in the crucial opening months of the invasion. More broadly, the ITAU reflects a growing shift in cyber conflict away from covert technical sabotage toward visible, politically charged campaigns aimed at controlling narratives and influencing perceptions. As a key case study of civilian cyber-mobilization, the ITAU offers broader insights into the evolving role of civilian participation in future conflicts.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Lysenko & Seva Gunitsky, 2025. "The invisible front: Ukraine’s IT army and the evolution of cyber resistance," Post-Soviet Affairs, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(4), pages 263-288, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rpsaxx:v:41:y:2025:i:4:p:263-288
    DOI: 10.1080/1060586X.2025.2503658
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/1060586X.2025.2503658
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/1060586X.2025.2503658?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:rpsaxx:v:41:y:2025:i:4:p:263-288. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/rpsa .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.