Flashmob as an Innovative Way of Protecting Ukraine's Information Space in Times of War

The aim of the article is to highlight the experience gained at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts in conducting flashmobs with the goal of forming Ukrainian national identity among students and protecting the information space of Ukraine in war conditions. The results of the study show that the real motive of russia in relations with Ukraine and the basis of the russian-Ukrainian war, the full-scale phase of which began on 24 February 2022, is the absorption of Ukrainian identity in order to completely destroy the Ukrainian State. The confrontation in this war occurs not only on the battle line but actively continues in the information environment. Under these conditions, the protection of Ukraine’s information space is an extremely important task, the success of which depends on the preservation of the Ukrainian nation and the establishment of the principles of free coexistence in the world community. The tools of this protection must be consonant with the current level of development of the information environment, they must be quickly adapted to effectively repel the propaganda narratives of the enemy. A rightful place among such tools is occupied by a flashmob — an action in which certain messages, perceived at a deep personal level, are non-verbally affirmed, on the basis of which different, previously unintegrated people are united. The scientific novelty consists in identifying a new direction for protecting the information space of Ukraine — conducting flashmobs at the Higher Education Institution together with public activists and cultural figures in order to highlight the markers of Ukrainian identity. Conclusions. Using the example of three different patriotic flashmobs organised in 2022 and 2023 at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, the productivity of such events is highlighted, and the experience of their involvement in communication with students is described. The technology of individual flashmobs is reproduced, and the results are analysed. The article demonstrates that filling the information space with content that reproduces and popularises such initiatives is an effective defense against hostile propaganda.