COMPONENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY OF THE KGB OF THE UKRAINIAN SSR BEFORE THE AUGUST COUP OF 1991

Abstract

The publication is dedicated to one of the final stages of the existence of the Soviet special services and, accordingly, their development of their communication strategy. We are talking about the period before the August putsch of 1991. In response to the further democratization of public life and increased criticism of the department by the public, the KGB of the USSR at this time actively tried to improve the coordination of its «PR units» and develop something like the concept of a «single voice».
Therefore, noticeable changes took place in the structure of Chekist propaganda. In 1990, the Press Bureau of the KGB of the USSR was reorganized and replaced by the Public Relations Center. Among the tasks of this department, monitoring of the press stood out, which also indicated a more systematic approach to propaganda.
Following the center, this area was also modernized by the KGB of the Ukrainian SSR. By the end of 1990, the formation of a network of regional press groups was practically completed in the republican special service, and the KGB Department in the Vinnytsia region even had its own printed organ – the monthly Incognito, which became the first newspaper of its kind in the Soviet Union.
Participation in rehabilitation processes, popularization of state security in society, public discrediting of the national liberation movement, work with citizens' letters and appeals, deputy communication remained key among the directions of the department's communication strategy.
Therefore, the article, using the example of individual information campaigns, shows how state security agencies tried to improve their image and what measures they took to avoid reputational losses.