Feed the Bears, Starve the Trolls Demystifying Russia’s Cybered Information Confrontation Strategy
By Nina A. Kollars, Ph.D., Michael B. Petersen, Ph.D.
| December 09, 2019
This paper seeks to establish an explicit connection between Russian strategic information operations theory and the execution of Russian cyber operations. These operations are part of a larger strategic construct in the Russian lexicon known as “information confrontation” – a concept that is deeply embedded in Russian strategic thought and official doctrine. Furthermore, within the information confrontation concept, the Russians posit an essential distinction between technical and psychological effects. Using this distinction, we attempt to introduce analytical clarity to the study of Russian activities in the cyber domain. Specifically, within the technical/psychological distinction, we find that Russian operations that tend toward the latter tend to be less sophisticated and conducted at some level of remove from direct control by the regime, while the former clearly demonstrates what we refer to as “organizational sophistication.”
Feed the Bears, Starve the Trolls: Demystifying Russia’s Cybered Information Confrontation Strategy