Sweden activates its Psychological Defence Authority to counter a sophisticated Russian disinformation campaign amidst the worst global cognitive warfare since WWII, while China advances global cognitive warfare tactics leveraging social media.

Cyber & Information WarfareInformation OperationsPropaganda & disinformation campaigns

AggressorDefense

Summary

On November 9, 2023, a global pattern of intensified cognitive warfare affecting national cognitive infrastructure was highlighted, emphasizing Sweden's active countermeasures against comprehensive Russian disinformation efforts. Sweden established the Swedish Psychological Defence Authority (SPDA) in May 2021, with operations launching January 2023, to develop resilience against information influence and disinformation campaigns targeting the country's security and NATO accession goals. The SPDA links civil-military and government coordination and employs signal intelligence capabilities. Russian efforts notably exploited protests in Sweden, including Quran desecration protests, manipulating social tensions to delay Sweden's NATO membership. Sweden’s example is positioned as a potential model for democratic states to counter authoritarian cognitive attacks. Simultaneously, China’s strategy termed 'discourse power' seeks to influence global narratives via coordinated propaganda and cognitive warfare through social media platforms, using subtle tactics like trolling and algorithmic manipulation to shape public cognition and perceptions over time. This cognitive warfare environment reflects a geopolitical struggle over public opinion and information control, with profound implications for democratic resilience and societal mental health worldwide.

Classification

Confidence: High

The event clearly describes Russian disinformation campaigns targeting Sweden as aggressor actions while also detailing Sweden's creation and activities of the Psychological Defence Authority as a defensive preparation against cognitive warfare. It also references Chinese cognitive warfare activities as aggressor tactics. Both aggressor and defense activities are explicitly identified with named actors and concrete actions.

Source URL

https://oodaloop.com/analysis/archive/cognitive-infrastructure-worldwide-is-under-attack-in-the-worst-cognitive-warfare-conditions-since-wwii

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: extension
Submitted: Feb 14, 2026, 12:22 UTC
Last updated: Nov 8, 2026, 20:32 UTC
Event time: Jan 1, 2023, 00:00 UTC

Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "35ff952f-fcc7-45b3-bdeb-11850d82f501",
  "url": "https://oodaloop.com/analysis/archive/cognitive-infrastructure-worldwide-is-under-attack-in-the-worst-cognitive-warfare-conditions-since-wwii",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
  "subcategory": "Information Operations",
  "incident_type": "Propaganda & disinformation campaigns",
  "country": "Sweden",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "cognitive warfare",
    "disinformation",
    "psychological defence",
    "Sweden",
    "Russia",
    "China",
    "information operations",
    "hybrid warfare",
    "social media influence",
    "NATO accession"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 1: Borders",
    "Node 2: 5th Column"
  ],
  "countries": [],
  "where_text": "Cyberspace",
  "headline": null,
  "description": "The article describes a prominent instance of modern cognitive warfare targeting national cognitive infrastructure, highlighting Sweden’s operational Psychological Defence Authority combating Russian-origin disinformation campaigns intended to undermine Swedish social cohesion and NATO accession efforts. It details Sweden's historical total defence framework, reactivated to address hybrid threats combining military and information warfare, with the Psychological Defence Authority tasked with identifying disinformation perpetrators and increasing public awareness of vulnerabilities. The article also elaborates on China’s parallel cognitive warfare strategy to project 'discourse power' globally, manipulating narratives through social media using methods such as information disturbance, discourse competition, and public opinion blackout to influence international perspectives favorably toward Chinese geopolitical objectives. This cognitive warfare is portrayed as the worst since WWII, characterized by the intensified use of social media platforms as battlefields for narrative control, mental influence, and societal disruption. The Swedish agency’s work includes addressing pro-Kremlin influence amplifying protests, while researchers note cognitive warfare’s psychological and societal trauma effects. These developments signify an escalated global strategic contest in the information domain, leveraging online and psychological tools to shape decision-making and public opinion in allied and adversary states.",
  "summary_short": "Sweden activates its Psychological Defence Authority to counter a sophisticated Russian disinformation campaign amidst the worst global cognitive warfare since WWII, while China advances global cognitive warfare tactics leveraging social media.",
  "summary_extended": "On November 9, 2023, a global pattern of intensified cognitive warfare affecting national cognitive infrastructure was highlighted, emphasizing Sweden's active countermeasures against comprehensive Russian disinformation efforts. Sweden established the Swedish Psychological Defence Authority (SPDA) in May 2021, with operations launching January 2023, to develop resilience against information influence and disinformation campaigns targeting the country's security and NATO accession goals. The SPDA links civil-military and government coordination and employs signal intelligence capabilities. Russian efforts notably exploited protests in Sweden, including Quran desecration protests, manipulating social tensions to delay Sweden's NATO membership. Sweden’s example is positioned as a potential model for democratic states to counter authoritarian cognitive attacks. Simultaneously, China’s strategy termed 'discourse power' seeks to influence global narratives via coordinated propaganda and cognitive warfare through social media platforms, using subtle tactics like trolling and algorithmic manipulation to shape public cognition and perceptions over time. This cognitive warfare environment reflects a geopolitical struggle over public opinion and information control, with profound implications for democratic resilience and societal mental health worldwide.",
  "actor_primary": "Swedish Psychological Defence Authority",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Sweden",
  "location_region": null,
  "location_coordinates_lat": null,
  "location_coordinates_lon": null,
  "location_precision": "Regional",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The event clearly describes Russian disinformation campaigns targeting Sweden as aggressor actions while also detailing Sweden's creation and activities of the Psychological Defence Authority as a defensive preparation against cognitive warfare. It also references Chinese cognitive warfare activities as aggressor tactics. Both aggressor and defense activities are explicitly identified with named actors and concrete actions.",
  "event_time_utc": "2023-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-02-14T12:22:49.586Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T20:32:30.226Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "regional",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: Same dayLocation: Regional

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Jan 1, 2023, 00:00 UTC

Event time confidence

pm24h

Location

Sweden

Primary actor

Swedish Psychological Defence Authority

Country

Sweden

Tags

cognitive warfare, disinformation, psychological defence, Sweden, Russia, China, information operations, hybrid warfare, social media influence, NATO accession

Nodes

Node 1: Borders, Node 2: 5th Column

Loading signal...

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It details Sweden's historical total defence framework, reactivated to address hybrid threats combining military and information warfare, with the Psychological Defence Authority tasked with identifying disinformation perpetrators and increasing public awareness of vulnerabilities. The article also elaborates on China’s parallel cognitive warfare strategy to project 'discourse power' globally, manipulating narratives through social media using methods such as information disturbance, discourse competition, and public opinion blackout to influence international perspectives favorably toward Chinese geopolitical objectives. This cognitive warfare is portrayed as the worst since WWII, characterized by the intensified use of social media platforms as battlefields for narrative control, mental influence, and societal disruption. The Swedish agency’s work includes addressing pro-Kremlin influence amplifying protests, while researchers note cognitive warfare’s psychological and societal trauma effects. These developments signify an escalated global strategic contest in the information domain, leveraging online and psychological tools to shape decision-making and public opinion in allied and adversary states.", "summary_short": "Sweden activates its Psychological Defence Authority to counter a sophisticated Russian disinformation campaign amidst the worst global cognitive warfare since WWII, while China advances global cognitive warfare tactics leveraging social media.", "summary_extended": "On November 9, 2023, a global pattern of intensified cognitive warfare affecting national cognitive infrastructure was highlighted, emphasizing Sweden's active countermeasures against comprehensive Russian disinformation efforts. Sweden established the Swedish Psychological Defence Authority (SPDA) in May 2021, with operations launching January 2023, to develop resilience against information influence and disinformation campaigns targeting the country's security and NATO accession goals. The SPDA links civil-military and government coordination and employs signal intelligence capabilities. Russian efforts notably exploited protests in Sweden, including Quran desecration protests, manipulating social tensions to delay Sweden's NATO membership. Sweden’s example is positioned as a potential model for democratic states to counter authoritarian cognitive attacks. Simultaneously, China’s strategy termed 'discourse power' seeks to influence global narratives via coordinated propaganda and cognitive warfare through social media platforms, using subtle tactics like trolling and algorithmic manipulation to shape public cognition and perceptions over time. This cognitive warfare environment reflects a geopolitical struggle over public opinion and information control, with profound implications for democratic resilience and societal mental health worldwide.", "actor_primary": "Swedish Psychological Defence Authority", "target_primary": null, "location_text": "Sweden", "location_region": null, "location_coordinates_lat": null, "location_coordinates_lon": null, "location_precision": "Regional", "is_aggressor_signal": true, "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL", "is_hybrid_war_signal": true, "classification_complete": true, "hybrid_signal_complete": true, "classification_confidence": "High", "classification_rationale": "The event clearly describes Russian disinformation campaigns targeting Sweden as aggressor actions while also detailing Sweden's creation and activities of the Psychological Defence Authority as a defensive preparation against cognitive warfare. It also references Chinese cognitive warfare activities as aggressor tactics. Both aggressor and defense activities are explicitly identified with named actors and concrete actions.", "event_time_utc": "2023-01-01T00:00:00.000Z", "end_time_utc": null, "event_time_confidence": "pm24h", "created_at": "2026-02-14T12:22:49.586Z", "updated_at": "2026-11-08T20:32:30.226Z", "reliability_band": "strong", "location_precision_band": "regional", "time_precision_band": "within_24h", "severity_band": "moderate", "attribution_confidence_band": "high", "attribution_basis": "single_source" }