Short-Term Professional Development Course for Communication Officers of the National Police of Ukraine

Odesa State University of Internal Affairs (OSUIA) hosted a short-term professional development course for communication officers of the National Police of Ukraine, organized by the Communication Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in cooperation with Odesa State University of Internal Affairs.

The training programme was designed to enhance the professional competencies of communication specialists in the areas of strategic communications, media relations, crisis response, information security, and the creation of modern digital content. Participants had the opportunity not only to familiarize themselves with current theoretical approaches but also to develop practical skills essential for effective communication activities in the face of contemporary challenges.

The first day of the programme focused on the development of Ukraine’s national media ecosystem and interaction with media outlets within the Ministry of Internal Affairs system.

A keynote lecture was delivered by Zoia Kazanzhy, Head of Strategic Communications and Partnerships at the Mnozhyna Foundation, media expert and trainer, who addressed the development of Ukraine’s national media landscape in the context of global information processes. Participants also had the opportunity to learn from Serhii Osadchuk, a Ukrainian journalist and special correspondent for the Television News Service (TSN) of the 1+1 television channel, who shared his professional experience.

A practical session on planning and implementing information campaigns was conducted by Antonina Ivashchuk, Lecturer at the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of OSUIA. During the workshop, participants explored the key stages of communication campaign planning, target audience identification, and methods for evaluating the effectiveness of information campaigns.

Special attention was also devoted to crisis situations in the media environment, including their identification, analysis, and response. The lecture was delivered jointly by Antonina Ivashchuk and Serhii Borushenko, Chief Specialist of the Organizational and Analytical Division of the Communication Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

The second day of the programme focused on crisis communications. Inna Zhylenko, Deputy Head of the Information Policy Division of the Strategic Communications and Digital Media Directorate of the Communication Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, introduced participants to contemporary approaches to audience management during crises, public sentiment analysis, countering information attacks, and responding to hate speech in the information environment.

Particular interest was generated by the practical workshop entitled “Public Speaking and the Role of a Spokesperson in Crisis Situations. Crisis Briefing,” conducted with the participation of Anton Strashko, First Deputy Director of the Communication Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

The programme also covered crisis phenomena in the media environment, methods for their identification, analysis, and response, as well as reputation management and mitigation of reputational risks.

The final day of the course focused on the legal and technological aspects of communication activities. Viktoriia Sirko, Associate Professor of the Department of Administrative Law Disciplines at OSUIA, delivered a lecture on personal data protection as a fundamental safeguard of human rights. Viktor Makovii, Head of the Department of Civil Law Disciplines, discussed copyright protection and intellectual property rights.

A practical session entitled “Creating Modern Content: Visual Design and AI Tools” was conducted by Olena Hrezina, Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Analysis and Information Technologies. Volodymyr Kaluhin, Associate Professor of the same department, presented key principles of information security and cyber hygiene in communication activities.

Certificates of successful completion of the short-term professional development course were presented by Anton Strashko, First Deputy Director of the Communication Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, and Viacheslav Davydenko, Rector of Odesa State University of Internal Affairs.