Information War
In the 4th-5th century BC the Chinese military strategist Sun-Tzu said that the best victory was the victory without a fight. In Chinese history, there are many examples of using information weapon to achieve victory. With the outbreak of the First World War, mankind had entered a new stage of information confrontation. As the radio hadn’t been used widely yet, propaganda was spread mainly through printed products like newspapers, leaflets, propaganda posters, letters of prisoners, brochures, balloons etc. For example, during 1918, about two thousand balloons were released; by the end of 1918, five thousand balloons were released only over Germany. A large number of leaflets was issued both inside the country and on the territory of the enemy. There was also another widely used method of propaganda when German prisoners wrote letters to their relatives in Germany, describing a good attitude towards them and normal living conditions. Information war by Russia incorporates elements of propaganda, demoralization, distraction and political posturing in addition to cyberwarfare as NATO understands the word. Even in times of peace, Russia’s information war continuously seeks strategic victory and reflexive control through tools as diverse as undersea cable, national origin stories, control of the news cycle, or polluting an information space with Russian bots and trolls. Russia takes a different approach to convincing citizens of the Russian Federation of the rightness of its approach in Ukraine. The Kremlin denies waging war in Ukraine, saying its goal is to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine against Ukrainian Nazis.