Policy Book on Information Resilience: Lessons and recommendations from Ukraine 2022–2025
Ukrainian media leaders, together with European institutions, have developed practical recommendations aimed at strengthening the information resilience of democratic societies during crises — drawing on lessons learned from Ukraine.
The “Policy Book on Information Resilience: Lessons and Recommendations from Ukraine 2022–2025” is a comprehensive analytical and practical document prepared by participants of the MERIT Forum 2025 — an IMS initiative under the REACH programme, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
This publication represents one of the first attempts to systematise, in the form of practical recommendations, the experience of leading figures in Ukraine’s media industry who have continued developing journalism and media institutions during a full-scale war. The authors share their vision of approaches to information resilience in crisis conditions and outline practical steps for key audiences working to safeguard democratic values and public security across European countries. The authors share their vision of approaches to information resilience in crisis conditions and outline practical steps for key audiences working to safeguard democratic values and public security across European countries.
What’s inside: practical structure and tools
The Policy Book is designed as a practical guide to help stakeholders identify signals of different phases of crisis and act proactively. The publication includes:
– Indicators of conflict phases within the information environment: the precrisis stage, the acute phase and the post conflict phase;
– Key actors and their tasks: for media organisations, civil society, academic institutions and regulators.
– Examples of management decisions and practices that enabled Ukrainian institutions to maintain continuity of work and counter disinformation.
– Conclusions on what strengthens resilience: leadership, staff safety, infrastructure redundancy, cross-sector solidarity, and balancing security with freedom of expression, sector solidarity and balancing security with freedom of expression.
“This Policy Book is not about the past, but about decisions that can and should be applied now. The Ukrainian experience shows that information resilience does not emerge on its own – it is built by people, institutions and well-prepared protocols. We collected practices that help maintain trust, continuity of work, and freedom of expression even under the pressure of war and largescale information attacks” — Roman Kifliuk, National Advisor IMS in Ukraine.
Why it matters beyond Ukraine
Although the Policy Book is based on Ukraine’s experience during 2022–2025, its logic and recommendations are applicable to any democratic society facing hybrid threats, disinformation, polarisation or security crises.
The document offers a framework of solutions that can be adapted to different national contexts — from crisis planning and institutional preparedness to coordination between media, government, civil society and international partners.
Who this Policy Book is for
The Policy Book serves as a must-read for:
– European policymakers and media regulators.
– Media managers and editors.
– Civil society organisations and media NGOs.
– Academic and educational institutions.
– Strategic communications and security professionals.
– International partners and donors.
How the Policy Book was created
The document was prepared by a group of Ukrainian media professionals within MERIT Forum 2025 — a component of the IMS REACH: Media partnerships for accountability and trust programme, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Participants engaged in professional exchanges with colleagues and institutions in Brussels and Copenhagen, and after completing the programme, consolidated Ukrainian expertise into a structured set of recommendations for diverse stakeholder groups.
Authors of the Policy Book
Andriy Bystrov, Maksym Dvorovyi, Maksym Onoprienko, Anastasiia Ravva, Liudmyla Fedorchuk, Mariia Frey, Olga Yurkovа, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn – Participants of MERIT Forum by IMS
MERIT Forum is a cross-sector format developed by IMS within the REACH (Eastern Partnership) programme. It brings together media professionals, civil society representatives, academia and regulatory institutions. The Forum aims to strengthen professional dialogue between Ukraine and European institutions, enhance information resilience, support a human rights-based approach (HRBA), as well as diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), and to generate knowledge that benefits democratic societies.
