RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF COUNTERACTION TO NEGATIVE INFORMATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON PERSONNEL: LESSONS OF THE UKRAINIAN COSSACKS AND HETMANATE

Abstract

The article considers counteraction to negative informational and psychological impact on personnel in retrospective dimension – as a set of communication, organizational and symbolic practices aimed at maintaining combat capability, discipline and cohesion of military communities. Retrospective is proposed to be understood not as a "description of the past for the sake of the future", but as a tool for highlighting stable patterns: what kind of information threats are repeated in different eras, how they affect morality, trust in leaders, readiness to follow orders and interact with the population. Particular attention is paid to the Ukrainian Cossacks and the Hetmanate, where military democracy, traditions of mentoring, religious and ethical regulators of behavior and extensive clerical communication (universals, orders, correspondence) are combined. It is shown that in early modern wars, along with forceful pressure, methods of psychological influence were widely used: rumors, "forgery letters", promises of amnesties and privileges, attempts to discredit the officers, imposition of the image of "legitimate power", the use of confessional and social contradictions. It is proved that counteraction to the negative informational and psychological impact on personnel in the Cossack- Hetman tradition was based on three supports: legitimization of the leadership and clear narratives of the purpose of the struggle; quick and understandable internal communication (advice, orders, public appeals); maintaining trust and discipline through fair rules, leading by example, and relying on the community. Retrospective analysis shows that counteracting negative informational and psychological influences on personnel is a historically stable component of military management: it existed as a system of practices for communication, maintaining discipline, cohesion, and communication with the population. The Ukrainian Cossacks and the Hetmanate demonstrate a combination of “horizontal” mechanisms (council, community, mentoring traditions) and “vertical” tools (universals, orders, clerical network) to reduce demoralization, rumors, and divisions. The most important result of the retrospective is the identification of principles that remain relevant: clear communication, responsible leadership, fair rules, consistency between words and deeds, reliance on the community, and unity of meaning