Bringing the 'Digital Periphery' back to the Centre?: Ukraine and Moldova between Russia and the EU after 2022

• In Event: Digital Sovereignty in the Time of War

Abstract

Until 2022, Russian experts, representing a country considered central on the mental map of European institutions, participated in all regulatory bodies and welcomed European experts to Moscow. This platform allowed digital experts from different partner countries to interact on a wide range of regulatory issues (infrastructure, data, security, etc.). This relationship came to an abrupt end in 2022 with Russia's massive invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, new European digital imaginaries are developing without, or even against, the Russian digital space, giving a new voice to experts from ex-Soviet countries long considered to be on the 'technological periphery'. This presentation, based on interviews with representatives of Ukraine and Moldova in European bodies, will give voice to these actors who are now at the forefront of Russia's digital expansionism. It will also consider the tensions and various issues that have arisen as part of this process.

Author

• Françoise Daucé, EHESS (France)