Ukrainian Election Task Force – Tool to Track Foreign Election Interference Launched

The Atlantic Council, Victor Pinchuk Foundation, and Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, have launched a dashboard tool to provide a close-monitoring index of efforts to interfere in Ukraine’s democratic process. Former US Assistant Secretary of State, David J. Kramer, Task Force Leader, Former US Ambassador to Ukraine, John E. Herbst, and representatives from the Ukrainian Election Task Force, along with partner organizations, will discuss identifying and preventing foreign election interference.

The March 2019 presidential election will be a pivotal event in Ukraine’s democratic progress. At the same time, Ukraine and the international community must be on guard against outside attempts to influence the election, especially by the Kremlin, which has been actively spreading disinformation in Ukraine in an effort to influence the political process. Moreover, the Kremlin for years already has been using disinformation tools and techniques, often first tried in Ukraine, to attempt to manipulate the democratic process in the United States as well as in Western European countries.

Recognizing the high stakes, the Atlantic Council, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, and the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity have established the Ukrainian Election Task Force. Working with other Ukrainian institutions – StopFake and the Razumkov Centre – the three partners are forming a rapid-response team with the ability to monitor, evaluate, and disclose the full range of foreign subversive activities in Ukraine, and to propose suitable responses. The Task Force will also arrange conferences in 2019 on the subject of foreign interference in Ukraine’s elections in Brussels, Washington, and Kyiv.

Alongside the Task Force, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab’s (DFRLab) active monitoring mission will provide its unique expertise to the Response Team’s efforts. Using innovative open-source research methodologies, they will provide real-time monitoring and analysis of the information environment in advance of and during the elections. This is a proven model that the Atlantic Council has developed over the last two years, including successful monitoring missions of elections in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Macedonia, Mexico, the United States, and beyond.

To learn more, please visit ukraineelects.org

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