Ukrainian information warriors know that humor is a weapon of mass destruction. The cause for which they are fighting is very serious, and causes deep respect, the freedom of Ukraine, but they realize that in social networks the one who makes you smile thanks to an intelligent meme wins. NAFO (North Atlantic Boys Organization, organization of North Atlantic colleagues) fight against quilted jackets (fans of Russophiles) with their most sophisticated weapons: irony and satire. In the background is his argument, which is summed up in the motto: “NAFO expansion is non-negotiable.”

Journalist Ivana Stradner, adviser to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy, explains in a tweet in English what NAFO is. “It’s the HIMARS of social media,” he says, referring to the American rocket launcher that helps Ukrainians so much on the battlefield. And Stradner adds, Kyiv Post, “The most powerful weapon of NAFO colleagues is direct memes and satire to hurt the feelings of Russian trolls. And yes, we will win the information war.

This unique organization of Internet users was born last May, when @Kama_Camilla The avatar of the Japanese Shiba Inu dog, popular in memes for ten years, was offered to anyone who would send a donation to the Georgian Legion, which supports the Ukrainian army. This avatar has become the mascot of a movement dedicated to debunking the believers’ narrative in front of the Kremlin. The Georgian Legion was created in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea.

NAFO has a community Twitter account @Official_NAFO. He is said to act in coordination with @saintjavelin, a Canadian designer who owns a clothing and accessories store with allusions to Ukraine. List donations for the Ukrainian cause. The Javelin is a man-portable anti-tank missile that was very useful to the Ukrainian forces.

They stand out for their ability to respond. Follow the news and all those who defend the arguments of the Kremlin, especially those who have a lot of followers. They refute his narratives, which are usually a copy of those used by the Kremlin and its allies in Moscow, from Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to Margarita Simonyan, who is in charge of RT.

After the attack on the Kerch bridge connecting Crimea and Russia, one of them stressed that the day promises to be “hard” for quilted jackets. “Behave yourself,” they advise with pictures from the amusement park. It was a strong blow to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who opened it in 2018. Putin called it a “terrorist act”, later detaining eight people, but it is still unclear how this happened. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, as it has now made four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporsk, and Kherson Russian, even though they are not even under its control.

In June 2022, it was the Russian ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, who glorified NAFO. When one of them reproached him for justifying the deaths of civilians in Ukraine, the diplomat replied: “You said this nonsense, it was not me.” This phrase has gone viral and is another slogan chanted by cyberwarriors.

The original founders, including former Marine Matt Moores, were joined by intellectuals, politicians, journalists, scientists from many countries. Among them are US Congressman Adam Kinzinger, former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ives, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov, who kept an image of a Shiba Inu for several days as a token of gratitude to NAFO. .

“As NAFO, you have several tasks: firstly, you are fighting Russian propaganda. Secondly, you help raise funds for various Ukrainian causes, such as the Georgian Legion, and thirdly, you give Ukrainians the right to vote,” says political analyst Victor Vasilescu. shows a Japanese dog on his Twitter avatar. NAFOs are trying to expand the circle of their followers and those who are waging this information war, because in this way the impact of their messages is greater.

“This is an organization without a hierarchy and without any other requirements, except for the desire to flood Russian propaganda with the most truthful and entertaining counterargument,” says the political scientist. “You may refer to Article 5 to guys from all over the world come to help you in some discussion.” Article 5 of NATO applies when attacking an ally. The rest will come to his aid. NAFO does the same when they bomb the accounts of pro-Russians.

“In English-language accounts, Russian propaganda is often carried out by Russian bots or agents posing as locals. In the Spanish-speaking world, propagandists tend to be local,” adds Vasilescu.

GabrielaNAFO, a Czech citizen, is also part of NAFO. “For years I have dedicated myself to fighting Russian disinformation. Not only for Ukraine. I have been watching for eight years how they manipulate people with their propaganda,” says Gabriela. She admits that since childhood she heard the same thing from Russia. “They changed us working method. They have always blamed the West for everything. The West wanted to attack us. We were scared by the fact that in the West there was only hunger, violence and drugs,” he adds.

Russians, great masters of propaganda, meet an enemy they did not count on. The secret of his success is his spontaneity. And the facts back them up. There is an invasion. undeniable. Civilians of Ukraine are dying. undeniable. Added to this is the fact that any Russian body that responds to an account whose avatar is a dog ends up legitimizing that cyber guerrilla. This happened to Russian Ambassador Ulyanov.

“He harms the Russians, and that is why they are making efforts to delegitimize him. It is successful because it is a spontaneous movement. He confuses the Russians with what were his means, like sarcasm. Hence, they run hoaxes because they are bots. They don’t bully,” he says. Nicholas Peterresearcher at the Institute of State Building and a specialist in the post-Soviet space.

This highlights the importance of horizontal networks, which are far more effective than vertical structures organized by governments.”

Evgen Fedchenko, stopfake

Those who have been unraveling RF hoaxes for years, like Yevgeny Fedchenko, the founder of StopFake, are glad that such a community has appeared. “We see the emergence of a powerful new community that is fighting against Russia, mocking her. People tag each other, reinforcing their messages. And use the funny dog ​​as a symbol of the community. It is about the importance of horizontal networks, which are much more effective than vertical structures organized by the state.”

Fedchenko says one of the keys to NAFO’s success, though the Kremlin does not believe in this version, is that they act spontaneously. They are not a creation of NATO, although some NATO officials have personally expressed sympathy for their activities.

It is pro-Ukrainian civil society that mobilizes on Twitter, just as in Ukraine citizens raise funds for drones as soon as they are fired upon by Russian missiles. Rather than scare them away, attacks like those across the country last Monday confirm Ukrainians’ belief that their struggle is worthwhile. Your future is at stake. And those who support them in networks know that the information battle must also be won.