Russia’s Cyber and Information Warfare

Russia's exercise of cyberpower forms an integral part of the far broader concept known as information warfare. The key principle of the Russian approach to information warfare, including cyber activities, is that information is the most important object of operations, independent of the channel through which it is transmitted. The aim is to control-or weaponize-information in whatever form it takes. Thus, "cyber" in particular is just a technical representation of information. In short, in Russia's comprehensive approach to the information domain, cyber is not a stand-alone discipline.This principle underpins all Russian efforts to extract, exfiltrate, manipulate, distort, or insert information. Alongside cyber activities, the channels available for doing this are as diverse as using fake or real news media to plant disinformation, trolling campaigns, issuing official government statements, giving speeches at rallies or demonstrations, posting defamatory online videos, and sending direct text messages. Russian information activities are not limited to cyberspace. Rather than using the term "cyberspace," Russian officials refer to "information space," which includes both computer and human information processing.1This essay starts with an explanation of the terminological, doctrinal, and practical distinguishing features of Russian cyber activities as part of information warfare. It goes on to look at a number of Russia's agencies and capabilities involved in the prosecution of cyber activities, both offensive and defensive. In conclusion, the essay emphasizes the main implication of this distinctive approach: the need for nations to prepare a broad range of defenses against Russia's holistic approach to offensive cyber, information warfare, and other forms of hostile online activity.