Russian 'Hybrid Warfare' and the Annexation of Crimea : The Modern Application of Soviet Political Warfare

A very timely, relevant, and important book -with a compelling explanation of the true nature of Russia's "hybrid warfare", including eye-opening details of the lengths Russia went to orchestrate the 2014 annexation of Crimea, as well as illuminating examinations of earlier actions that offer insights, as well. DeBenedictis establishes convincingly that Russian "hybrid warfare" is best understood as the modern application of traditional Soviet political warfare practices, such as active measures, maskirovka, and disinformation -and such understanding is critical in the contemporary era of renewed great power rivalries. ' General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan and former director of the CIA. ' A brilliant analysis of modern war by a young, yet seasoned, Army leader. Kent DeBenedictis thoughtfully dissects the "hybrid warfare" conducted by the Russians in Ukraine and shows that while it is explosively effective, it is not new to Russian strategy, or to warfare in general. Success, even survival, may depend on our ability to both understand, and to master it. ' General Stan McChrystal, US Army (Ret.), former commander of Coalition Forces in Afghanistan and Joint Special Operations Command. 'This is a timely and highly relevant analysis that deserves careful consideration by all those who intend to commentate on the threat. ' General Sir Nick Parker, UK advisor to the Ukrainian minister of defence 2016-19. 'Why does the West keep getting surprised by Russia? Partly, it is because we do not use the past properly to understand the future, and this impressively researched study precisely addresses that, placing the 2014 seizure of Crimea in the context of Moscow's past adventures, an exercise of value to scholars and policy-makers alike. ' Prof Mark Galeotti, author of We Need to Talk About Putin: How the West Gets Him Wrong. 'This excellent new book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of Russian political warfare, challenging existing assumptions and prevailing narratives. Extensively researched, it reveals continuities between historical Soviet political warfare practices and Russia's 2014 intervention in Crimea. ' Dr Tracey German, King's College London. The Russian Federation's 2014 operation to annex Crimea from Ukraine sparked an intense wave of literature on the nature of Russia's modern warfare practices. Most commonly, Western academics, politicians, and military leaders alike have labelled Russia's actions in Crimea and its follow-on operations in Eastern Ukraine as a new form of "hybrid warfare." Despite these claims, the 2014 Crimean operation was more accurately the Russian Federation's modern application of historic Soviet political warfare practices--the overt and covert informational, political, and military tools used to influence the actions of foreign governments and foreign populations. They involved the use of active measures, including propaganda, disinformation, front organizations, and forged political processes, as well as Maskirovka, the military's elaborate deception schemes. Two of the most prominent examples of the Soviet government's application of these political warfare techniques were the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 (the "Prague Spring") and the earliest stages of the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. An in-depth case study analysis of these historical Soviet conflicts and the Russian annexation of Crimea demonstrates that the operation, which inspired discussions about Russian "hybrid warfare," was more accurately the modern adaptation of these Soviet political warfare tools than it was the invention of a new type of warfare. "Western academics, politicians, and military leaders alike have labelled Russia's actions in Crimea and its follow-on operations in Eastern Ukraine as a new form of "Hybrid Warfare." In this book, Kent DeBenedictis argues that, despite these claims, the 2014 Crimean operation is more accurately to be seen as the Russian Federation's modern application of historic Soviet political warfare practices-the overt and covert informational, political, and military tools used to influence the actions of foreign governments and foreign populations. DeBenedictis links the use of Soviet practices, such as the use of propaganda, disinformation, front organizations, and forged political processes, in the Crimea in 2014 to the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 (the "Prague Spring") and the earliest stages of the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Through an in-depth case study analysis of these conflicts, featuring original interviews, government documents and Russian and Ukrainian sources, this book demonstrates that the operation, which inspired discussions about Russian "Hybrid Warfare," is in fact the modern adaptation of Soviet political warfare tools and not the invention of a new type of warfare"-- Provided by publisher