Considerations on the role of information (-psychological) operations in Russian military thinking

Abstract

Russian military thinking and strategic documents attribute information warfare (and its associated concepts) to external authors only. This creates a vacuum in terms of how Russia actually implements itself information-psychological operations and how this fits into the broader Russian military thinking. This article looks at how information (-psychological) operations (IOs) are applied pragmatically through the prism of specific and well-established Russian concepts, such as Reflexive Control, Asymmetry and Initial Period of War, with a specific focus on the current conflict in Ukraine. It also looks at specific capabilities and formation in the field of IOs, as pertaining to the military field.