PSYCHOLOGICAL MIMICRY OF THE ENEMY IN THE MEDIA SPACE

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of the enemy’s psychological mimicry as one of the leading mechanisms of information and psychological influence in the context of modern hybrid wars. It reveals the essence of the information space as a new theater of warfare in which information, communication, and the media become effective tools for controlling mass consciousness. It is emphasized that in the twenty-first century, traditional, conventional forms of warfare are gradually losing their dominance, giving way to unconventional methods aimed not at the physical destruction of the enemy, but at subjugating their consciousness, emotions, and will. The effectiveness of information aggression is shown to depend directly on the aggressor’s ability to integrate into the sociocultural context of the target state by using linguistic, emotional, behavioral, and social mimicry. This form of influence enables the aggressor to disguise the source of disinformation and create the illusion of an internal origin of public discontent. The article develops a typology of harmful informational content that includes three forms: disinformation, distorted information, and the phenomenon of the “dangerous truth”, accurate facts that can be used to destabilize a state’s internal political situation. It analyzes the mechanisms of three levels of informational filtering: institutional-legal, technological, and socio-psychological which ensure the information security of the state, as well as the ways in which these filters can be bypassed through mimicry and manipulation of mass consciousness.Particular attention is paid to propaganda strategies based on socially significant but emotionally charged topics such as dissatisfaction with government, anti-corruption narratives, protection of minorities, and the exposure of private lives of public figures. The study concludes that information and psychological mimicry has become an integral component of contemporary unconventional warfare, which combines traditional, informational, and cyber means of achieving strategic objectives. The author argues for the necessity of increasing media literacy, critical thinking, and social reflection as key factors in countering informational aggression. In the globalized world, victory in war is determined not by the amount of weaponry, but by a society’s ability to resist manipulation, maintain unity, and recognize the enemy’s informational mimicry.