War by Non-military Means: Understanding Russian Information Warfare

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This report is first and foremost a review of Russian official documents andRussian literature on military theory with regard to information warfare. It alsooffers a few case studies, to shed light on how the theory is applied in practice.One conclusion is that information warfare is not considered to be just a matterfor the Armed Forces, but rather a strategic matter that requires the coordinationof many government agencies. Another conclusion is that information warfare,according to doctrine and theory, is conducted continuously in peacetime andwartime alike. Information warfare is also highly politicised, and the Russianintellectuals taking part in the military theory debate now embrace a view ofinformation warfare where regime security is paramount. Among the drivingforces for this is a view of the world as a zero-sum game, where globalisation isreducing Russian security, and where Russia lags behind Western countries interms of technology.