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The question of what makes a democracy resilient to internal and external pressures has gained importance in recent years. The study Guardians of trust: foreign election interference and the institutional logics of democratic resilience among Swedish county governors, conducted by Hedvig Ördén, Elsa Isaksson and Martina Smedberg at PDRI, examines this question in relation to the threat of foreign

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/guardians-trust-foreign-election-interference-and-institutional-logics-democratic-resilience-among - 2026-05-07

The book aims to raise awareness of psychological threats and empower readers with the knowledge and confidence to respond effectively and responsibly. By fostering trust, openness, and critical engagement, psychological defence helps safeguard the values of free and democratic societies. In an age defined by rapid information flows and shifting security landscapes, the resilience of societies res

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/new-textbook-theory-and-practice-psychological-defence - 2026-05-07

In the publication series "Psychological Defence Research Institute Working Papers", researchers connected to PDRI present short analyses or briefings on issues relevant to the public understanding of psychological defence. This includes work on the concept of psychological defence, its associated capabilities, the tactics, techniques and procedures used by threat actors, and the use of new techno

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/mutual-reinforcement-between-united-front-work-and-cognitive-warfare - 2026-05-07

A study has recently been published on how the Kremlin circumvented EU sanctions on Russian state media in the first weeks of the illegal invasion of Ukraine. In a recently published journal article, James Pamment discusses some of the tactics the Kremlin used to circumvent the EU’s 2022 state media sanctions. The study finds that while the initial “fog of information war” significantly disrupted

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/impact-eu-sanctions-russia-state-media - 2026-05-07

A capability definition and assessment framework for countering disinformation, information influence, and foreign interference The NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence recently published a report titled A capability definition and assessment framework for countering disinformation, information influence, and foreign interference. In the report, the author James Pamment, Director of

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/capability-report-1 - 2026-05-07

Microsoft uses framework for attribution developed by Pamment and Smith Microsoft’s Digital Threat Analysis Center (DTAC) is attributing a recent influence operation targeting the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo. The attribution made builds upon a framework for attribution developed by James Pamment at the PDRI and Victoria Smith, presented in the report “Attributing Information Influence

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/attribution-framework-used-microsoft - 2026-05-07

A research conference was held in Lund in October 2023. The conference, organized jointly by the Psychological Defence Research Institute and the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, gathered researchers representing institutions across Sweden from varied disciplines such as international relations, political science, sociology, strategic communication and law. The conference is planned to become

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/research-conference-lund - 2026-05-07

Video games have captured the spotlight for decades, sparking debates about their impact on players since the early 1990s. Played by over 3 billion people worldwide, this report acknowledges video games' political and ideological dimensions and their potential for being used for strategic communication and propaganda purposes. It attempts to better understand how influence takes place through gami

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/video-games-tool-malign-foreign-interference-and-info-influence - 2026-05-07

A new report on Russian influence tactics has been published by the Psychological Defence Research Institute. This report analyses Russian information influence tactics on social media platforms following the atrocities committed by Russian troops in Bucha, Ukraine, in March 2022. The analysis focuses on the Bucha massacre as a significant news event to demonstrate how the Kremlin conducts propaga

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/new-report-russian-influence-tactics - 2026-05-07

ADAC.io - Attribution – Data – Analysis – Countermeasures. InterOperability, a Horizon project started on 1 February. A week later, the partners of the ADAC.io-consortium met at the Old Bishop's House at Lund University to elaborate on the details of the project that is planned for three years. The seven partners of ADAC.io are Alliance4Europe (DE), Debunk.eu (LT), Dortmund University - Institutio

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/consortium-meeting-adacio - 2026-05-07

The latest report from the Psychological Defence Research Institute is now available: Building Resilience and Psychological Defence. It outlines an analytical framework, guidebook, and template addressing six dimensions of hybrid threats and foreign influence and interference from a nation-state perspective. Acknowledging that these types of threats are complex and multifaceted, it is intended to

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/new-research-report-building-resilience-and-psychological-defence - 2026-05-07

Hedvig Ördén, Security Studies Researcher at the Psychological Defence Research Institute, discusses the European disinformation landscape and its developments over time on “Konflikt”, broadcasted by Radio SwedenAbout the podcast episode “The fight for the truth ahead of the EU elections” (link to podcast in Swedish: Kampen om sanningen inför EU-valet): “Politicians are increasingly warning agains

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/podcast-fight-truth-ahead-eu-elections - 2026-05-07

At the 10th annual Riga StratCom Dialogue conference, organized by the NATO Strategic Communications COE, over 700 participants attended. Two members of the Psychological Defence Research Institute participated in panels, presenting the following topics:In the panel "Attribution of Information Influence Activity," James Pamment presented a framework developed for NATO by himself and Victoria Smith

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/interventions-pdri-members-natos-conference-strategic-communication - 2026-05-07

At EU Days in Lund on 17 September, members of the Psychological Defence Research Institute, together with a representative of the Swedish Defence University, debated disinformation and its impact on European security. A panel at the EU Days in Lund reflected on the current security situation in Europe and its challenging communicative environment. The debate was held under the heading: Foreign In

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/eu-days-lund-debate-disinformation - 2026-05-07

Focusing on the intersection of research and practice, the second annual research conference on psychological defence was held in Lund on 24-25 September 2024. The conference gathered 60 participants from the Nordic countries, with the majority of attendees from the Swedish public and private sectors as well as academia. In addition to consolidating networks of actors engaged in psychological defe

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/research-conference-psychological-defence - 2026-05-07

"Japan Close Up," a platform managed and operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan, recently published an article by James Pamment, Director of the Psychological Defence Research Institute at Lund University, on disinformation in the Japanese context: Strengthening Digital Integrity: How Japan can Tackle Disinformation. 

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/disinformation-japanese-context - 2026-05-07

Vice-President of the EU Commission, Vera Jourová, recently published an assessment of online information interference in the June 2024 elections for the European Parliament, to which the Psychological Defence Research Institute contributed. The announcement and the full memo to be found at the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ac_24_5328

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/online-information-interference-2024-elections-european-parliament - 2026-05-07

Foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) is not a new phenomenon. Since the end of the Second World War, when Sweden seriously began to work with psychological defence to respond to various forms of hybrid threats, the issue has been prevalent and developing. The report Psychological Defence: Concepts and Principles for the 2020s not only portrays the evolution of Sweden's psycholo

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/new-report-concepts-and-principles-psychological-defence - 2026-05-07

The Psychological Defence Research Institute has published a new report in the working paper series titled  "Psychological Defence and Strategic Resilience: North Macedonia’s response to hybrid threats and malign foreign influence and interference". It is authored by Professor Zhidas Daskalovski and Sasho Damjanovski of the Faculty of Security-Skopje, University St Kliment Ohridski-Bitola, North M

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/north-macedonias-response-hybrid-threats-and-malign-foreign-influence-and-interference - 2026-05-07

During the fall of 2024, Hilkka Grahn is a visiting researcher at the Psychological Defence Research Institute (PDRI) at Lund University. Hilkka is a postdoctoral researcher (KILPI project) and senior lecturer at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. With an academic background in cognitive science, Hilkka Grahn's doctoral research focused on driver distraction and inattention – a topic that may

https://www.psychologicaldefence.lu.se/article/researcher-profile-hilkka-grahn - 2026-05-07