Information technologies in the realities of the political crisis: from Euromaidan network project to creation of the strategic communication in Ukraine in 2013-2016

In modern international relations, the political crisis has a significant informational component. The spread of the Internet contributed to the large-scale use of social networks to mobilize the population, promoting a particular discourse in times of crisis. The authors observe the rapid development of various digital approaches to mobilize the population during the well-known political events in Ukraine. Ukraine as well as the Middle East during the Arab Spring has become the epicenter of the spread of network technologies and has found itself at the crossroads of information flows, which led to the extraordinary activity of the population and political disengagement. The article clearly shows the impact of the evolution of information techniques from simple network projects to the creation of a state machine for the information and the formation of the strategic communication. Firstly, the authors discuss various Ukrainian network projects, which have arisen in the run-up to or during Euromaidan and their role in the political process. Secondly, they show the mechanism of consolidation of existing and creation of new information departments of state bodies of Ukraine. Thirdly, the article demonstrates features of the formation of strategic communication in the Ukrainian realities. The authors conclude that Ukraine has made a rapid jump in the use of information as a political tool in 2013-2016.