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The EU as a Security Actor in the Eastern Neighbourhood: Securitised Resilience-Building Against Russian Hybrid Threats Since 2022 - Case Studies of Moldova and Georgia

Aliashvili, Mariami LU (2026) STVM23 20261
Department of Political Science
Abstract (Swedish)
This thesis provides an in-depth exploration of how the EU’s resilience-building initiatives for the Eastern Neighbourhood have evolved against Russian hybrid threats since 2022. Russian invasion of Ukraine significantly altered the security order on the continent, reshaping the EU’s perception of its own security. In response to increased hybrid threats, the EU has employed extraordinary regulatory and responsive measures to ensure the safety of its own territory as well as its neighbours. This research tests the hypothesis that the war in Ukraine has elevated disinformation in the Eastern Neighbourhood to a core security issue for the Union. Relying on the tenets of Securitisation Theory, this hypothesis is examined on two levels:... (More)
This thesis provides an in-depth exploration of how the EU’s resilience-building initiatives for the Eastern Neighbourhood have evolved against Russian hybrid threats since 2022. Russian invasion of Ukraine significantly altered the security order on the continent, reshaping the EU’s perception of its own security. In response to increased hybrid threats, the EU has employed extraordinary regulatory and responsive measures to ensure the safety of its own territory as well as its neighbours. This research tests the hypothesis that the war in Ukraine has elevated disinformation in the Eastern Neighbourhood to a core security issue for the Union. Relying on the tenets of Securitisation Theory, this hypothesis is examined on two levels: official narratives and policy implementation. First, a content analysis of strategic and policy documents from the last decade showcases a linguistic shift. Second, interviews with local stakeholders reveal main practices and tools of EU support measures in Moldova and Georgia. The findings demonstrate that on both dimensions, the EU has employed a securitised approach to the neighbours. However, several challenges emerge both in the local political context and in the EU's policy design, undermining the EU’s impact as a security actor in the region. (Less)
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author
Aliashvili, Mariami LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM23 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Hybrid threats, disinformation, FIMI, Eastern Neighbourhood, resilience-building
language
English
id
9227421
date added to LUP
2026-06-16 14:51:59
date last changed
2026-06-16 14:51:59
@misc{9227421,
  abstract     = {{This thesis provides an in-depth exploration of how the EU’s resilience-building initiatives for the Eastern Neighbourhood have evolved against Russian hybrid threats since 2022. Russian invasion of Ukraine significantly altered the security order on the continent, reshaping the EU’s perception of its own security. In response to increased hybrid threats, the EU has employed extraordinary regulatory and responsive measures to ensure the safety of its own territory as well as its neighbours. This research tests the hypothesis that the war in Ukraine has elevated disinformation in the Eastern Neighbourhood to a core security issue for the Union. Relying on the tenets of Securitisation Theory, this hypothesis is examined on two levels: official narratives and policy implementation. First, a content analysis of strategic and policy documents from the last decade showcases a linguistic shift. Second, interviews with local stakeholders reveal main practices and tools of EU support measures in Moldova and Georgia. The findings demonstrate that on both dimensions, the EU has employed a securitised approach to the neighbours. However, several challenges emerge both in the local political context and in the EU's policy design, undermining the EU’s impact as a security actor in the region.}},
  author       = {{Aliashvili, Mariami}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The EU as a Security Actor in the Eastern Neighbourhood: Securitised Resilience-Building Against Russian Hybrid Threats Since 2022 - Case Studies of Moldova and Georgia}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}