Pūraitė, Aurelija

Profesorė dr. Aurelija Pūraitė iš Mykolo Romerio Universiteto Viešojo saugumo akademijos laidoje kalbės apie holistinį hibridinių grėsmių spektrą – ekonomines, politines, kibernetines ir kitas priemones, kuriomis viena valstybė siekia destabilizuoti kitos valstybės veiklą. Bus pateikiami realūs pavyzdžiai, o taip pat dalinamasi 2022 m. tarptautinės komandos parašytos pranašiškos knygos „Vieniša Europa. Mažos valstybės saugumas be JAV" įžvalgomis. Visuomenės švietimas ir aktuali informacija yra vienas iš geriausių būdų pasiruošti hibridinėms grėsmėms.

Effective communication is a core competence in sustainable policing, yet training programs often fail to prepare officers for the emotional and relational complexity of real-world encounters. This study explored how police officers from Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Romania (n = 109) evaluate their communication training and identify the interactions they find most difficult. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, the research integrated quantitative assessments of training coverage with qualitative analysis of officers’ narratives. Findings reveal consistent gaps in emotional regulation, empathy, negotiation, and de-escalation skills, especially in encounters with intoxicated or mentally distressed individuals, and in internal communication within hierarchical structures. Viewed through the lens of organizational sustainability, communication competence emerges as a key form of human capital that enhances officer well-being, reduces operational risks, and strengthens public trust. The study highlights the need to embed experiential, scenario-based learning into police curricula to align training with the emotional realities of field practice.

This research project, conducted in one of Lithuania’s cities, explores the integration processes of foreign nationals in the urban environment. Its primary aim is to identify key obstacles to migrants’ social, cultural, and professional inclusion, and to propose practical recommendations for improving adaptation at the community, municipal, and organizational levels. Special emphasis is placed on the role of media manipulation and disinformation targeting migrants, which often reinforces stereotypes, fuels xenophobia, and undermines trust in institutions. The study focuses particularly on Ukrainian refugees as a vulnerable group exposed to politicized narratives and hybrid informational threats. Using both empirical data and theoretical frameworks, the article investigates how migrants perceive and respond to such manipulations. The findings aim to inform more effective integration strategies and contribute to policy development rooted in democratic values and information.

Migration has increasingly been weaponized as a tool of hybrid warfare, challenging national security, legal frameworks, and humanitarian obligations. This article examines migration as a hybrid threat through a legal lens, focusing on recent trends in countering illegal migration and the implications of the Lithuania- Belarus border crisis. The article explores the strategic use of migration by state and non-state actors to destabilize target countries, assessing how hybrid threats manifest in border crises. It provides a legal analysis of state responses, including legislative measures, border control policies, and international legal obligations concerning asylum and human rights. The case study of the Lithuania- Belarus border crisis illustrates how irregular migration can be leveraged as a form of coercion, examining the legal justifications and challenges of Lithuania’s response, including pushbacks, emergency measures, and EU legal frameworks. Furthermore, the article discusses recent trends in countering illegal migration, highlighting developments in EU law, technological advancements in border management, and cooperative mechanisms among states. It evaluates the legal and ethical dimensions of restrictive measures, considering their compliance with international human rights law, the principle of non-refoulement, and European legal standards. By analyzing legal frameworks and state responses, the article aims to contribute to the broader discourse on security, migration law, and hybrid threats. It underscores the need for a balanced approach that upholds national security while adhering to international legal norms. The findings emphasize the necessity of legal adaptability in addressing evolving hybrid threats, ensuring that countermeasures remain both effective and lawful.

This research investigates the critical issue of combating information warfare through legal avenues, focusing on Lithuania's case. The backdrop reveals alarming statistics from the Lithuanian Democracy Sustainability Barometer study, highlighting susceptibility to Russian disinformation among approximately 300,000 individuals. Voices like Professor Tomas Janeliūnas and Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas underscore the grave consequences of false narratives, citing examples from the Ukraine conflict. In Lithuania's democratic framework, freedom of speech is fundamental, yet the study reveals the delicate balance between this freedom and the spread of harmful content, especially disinformation. Recent incidents, such as bomb threats via false emails, underscore the urgent need to address deliberate misinformation. The research sets clear goals to identify disinformation instances, assess legal countermeasures, and analyze societal impacts. Methodologically, it combines legal analysis with expert interviews in propaganda, disinformation, and national security. Findings highlight prevalent propagandistic narratives in Lithuania, aiming to undermine sovereignty and historical memory. Despite legal frameworks, enforcement gaps hinder accountability for propagators of hostile narratives, necessitating legislative changes to curb misinformation amid rising geopolitical tensions. In conclusion, the study advocates proactive measures to safeguard democratic integrity and national security. By addressing legal loopholes and enhancing accountability, Lithuania can fortify its resilience against disinformation's pernicious influence.

In an ever-evolving and more innovative world, it is important for institutions to take a leading position among other institutions in a constantly competitive market and in their search for adaptability in an innovative society. Research has shown that the development of leadership in an institution helps to implement changes more effectively, reduce stress at work, improve employee job satisfaction, employee willingness to improve, and reduce staff turnover. Leadership development in statutory institutions is one of the most important components of an effective institution. Their development requires continuous self-improvement, knowledge of the latest technologies, strategic and systemic thinking, innovative and critical approach and other elements. The general definition of leadership development is analysed in the scientific literature, but not enough attention is paid to the specific leadership development of statutory institutions, therefore, both theoretically and practically, this object of research is a rather rare phenomenon. Therefore, it is important to note that there is still no consensus among the authors, what are the factors that determine the effectiveness of a leader in an organization, what training tools are most appropriate for leadership development, what should be the theoretical model of leadership development and how it can be applied in a particular institution? Given that the needs listed above are not specifically defined, it is necessary to conduct a thorough and consistent theoretical analysis of leadership development in order to answer the essential question raised in the article - whether statutory institutions have a well-formed leadership development model, attention to the formation of goals and values, thinking, behaviour and attitude, what directions of leadership development exist at the theoretical and practical level in statutory institutions. In the context of sustainable development this research topic highlights the necessity to investigate managerial and legal peculiarities of leadership development in statutory institutions. Sustainable approach toward decision-making and social responsibility become crucial under the uncertainty of current management environment.