The concept of hybrid war in Russia : a national security threat and means of strategic coercion

Abstract

The hybrid war concept offers a general framework for explaining threats towards Russia, and legitimizes Russia’s actions as necessary counter-measures to actions taken by the West. According to this perception, Russia is only mitigating and preventing conflicts, rather than activating and aggravating them, writes assistant professor and holder of the Mannerheim Chair of Russian Security Studies Katri Pynnöniemi in this Hybrid CoE Strategic Analysis. She argues that the roots of the later hybrid war debate lie in the characterization of modern warfare as the integrated use of military force and non-military activities. The interpretation of hybrid war as a tool used against Russia also fits within the pre-existing typology of threats towards Russia. The latest turn in this debate frames hybrid war as a form of strategic coercion.

The hybrid war concept offers a general framework for explaining threats towards Russia, and legitimizes Russia’s actions as necessary counter-measures to actions taken by the West. According to this perception, Russia is only mitigating and preventing conflicts, rather than activating and aggravating them, writes assistant professor and holder of the Mannerheim Chair of Russian Security Studies Katri Pynnöniemi in this Hybrid CoE Strategic Analysis. She argues that the roots of the later hybrid war debate lie in the characterization of modern warfare as the integrated use of military force and non-military activities. The interpretation of hybrid war as a tool used against Russia also fits within the pre-existing typology of threats towards Russia. The latest turn in this debate frames hybrid war as a form of strategic coercion.