The concept of hybrid war in Russia : a national security threat and means 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.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 Russian National Security Strategy : shaping perceptions and coordinating actions

Dr. Katri Pynnöniemi’s review of Russian strategy documents in The Russian National Security Strategy: shaping perceptions and coordinating actions is revealing. Russian national strategy is consistent across multiple organs of the Russian government and focused on several main themes. Dr. Pynnöniemi rarely mentions Putin, but his hand is evident in the presence of the same themes that he has stressed publically for years. The strategy documents show Russia competing globally for “power and prestige” and locally for national sovereignty. Russia is painted as on the defensive against the West, which continues its Cold War policy of containment and is the instigator of all instability areas of Russian influence. These documents largely apply both internationally and domestically, as maintaining stability is a key theme. This justifies Russian actions as self-defense against Western instigated aggression. The documents stress the multi-domain aspects of competition with the West, reaffirming the US Army’s emphasis on Multi-Domain Operations. Overall, the insights into Russian strategic thinking in relation to the West provides a view to how Russia will pursue its interests and therefore what the Army may face within the Russian sphere of influence and why

Strateginen hämäys: olennainen osa Venäjän ulko- ja turvallisuuspolitiikkaa

Two observations stand out from the Russian strategic outlook. First, it corresponds with the real politik vision of world politics where the states engage in (zero-sum) competition for power and resources. Second, the new world order emerges because of a conflict between different models of development and value systems. These two observations highlight a certain "family resemblance" between the current Russian assessment of the current security environment and the situation during the Cold War. Furthermore, Russian national security strategy is oriented toward achieving strategic stability with the other great powers. The maintenance of strategic parity (nuclear and conventional deterrence) is a means to this end. However, given Russia's relative weakness in comparison to its major geopolitical competitors, this has led to the renewal of the Cold War-era concept of asymmetric approach. Although this concept is most often used in the context of nuclear deterrence and the debate on "strategic stability," it is not about military security only. The set of asymmetric measures from economic dependence or sanctions, to diplomatic, political, and informational measures are used to prevent an emergence of a conflict that would threaten Russia's sovereignty and domestic stability. The purpose of this paper is to explore the Soviet roots of Active Measures and how the Soviet heritage is present at both the theoretical level and in concrete practices. Finally, insights from the conceptual analysis are applied in assessing the vulnerability of the Nordic countries, in particular Finland and Sweden, to Russian influence operations.Peer reviewe

Information-psychological warfare in Russian security strategy

Peer reviewe

Aktiivisen vakauspolitiikan sisältöä linjaamassa

Tässä keskustelupuheenvuorossa tarkastelen Suomen ulkopoliittisesta linjasta ja Venäjän-politiikasta viimeisen parin vuoden aikana käytyä keskustelua. Argumentissani on kaksi osaa. Ensiksi kiinnitän huomiota siihen, että Suomen ulko- ja turvallisuuspolitiikan tuoreet linjapaperit jättävät pitkälle huomioimatta Venäjän poliittisen ja taloudellisen hallintajärjestelmän – sisteman – kehityksen ja sen vaikutuksen ulkopolitiikan toimintatapoihin. Tähän tulokseen tulen vertailemalla vuoden 2012 ulko- ja turvallisuuspoliittisen selonteon muotoiluja tuoreisiin ulkopoliittisiin linjapapereihin: ulko- ja turvallisuuspoliittisen ja puolustuspoliittisen selontekoon sekä toukokuussa 2016 julkaistuun Nato-arvioon. Otan huomioon myös eduskunnassa käydyn keskustelun ulko- ja turvallisuuspoliittisesta selonteosta sekä ulkoasiainvaliokunnan selontekoa koskevan mietinnön. Kysyn, millaisena maailmanpoliittisena toimijana Venäjä selonteoissa ja niistä käydyissä poliittisissa keskusteluissa hahmottuu ja millaisen viitekehyksen kautta Venäjän toimintaa selitetään. Argumenttini toisessa osassa tarkastelen selontekoihin liittyvästä politiikkaprosessista hahmottuvaa ulkopoliittista linjaa, ”aktiivista vakauspolitiikkaa”. Esitän, että linja on monitulkintainen: eduskuntakäsittelyssä ja eduskunnan ulkoasiainvaliokunnan mietinnössä aktiivisuudelle ja vakaudelle annetaan hyvinkin ristiriitaisia merkityksiä.Non peer reviewe

Venäjän turvallisuusopit korostavat ulkoisia uhkia

Vastikään päivitetty Venäjän kansallisen turvallisuuden strategia heijastelee maan konservatiivien ajatuksia ja retoriikkaa