Information War: A Rundown & Russia’s Favorite Tool
What is Information Warfare?
Information warfare is a conflict between multiple groups, nations, or people trying to control the information sector in a specific environment. This environment can be anything ranging from day-to-day news reports in a country to controlling what information is being dispersed in a warzone. Often information warfare takes place between Western nations and China or Russia. Each side invests billions to match the other, in an effort to make their point of view, whether it be factual or not, the most widely-known side. Information warfare is much cheaper than conventional warfare, only requiring knowledge of information systems and access to networks.
Information warfare also includes cyber-warfare — attacks launched through the internet to disrupt or disable either digital networks or physical objects. Attacks can happen in both the public and private sectors; for example, in 2014, Sony, Target, and other multinational businesses suffered large data breaches and information was leaked online. These breaches can cost millions, or even billions of dollars, as private can be stolen, released, or even sold.
Psychological warfare, or “psy-ops”, is another tool in the information warfare sector. This is conducted by spreading false information, rumors, or threats through radio, news, and other broadcasting methods. The final major tool is electronic warfare, the usage of signals on the electromagnetic spectrum, and the disrupting of these signals. These signals are used for communication, radar, radio, and other modes of transmission. It can even reach military targets, such as crippling missile guidance systems.
Information warfare is Russia’s favorite tool, and one with which they are adept. The Russian government frequently used information warfare to disrupt the free flow of information and hide the truth from its citizens.
How Has Russia Used it?
Putin has used information warfare against numerous countries, ranging from small neighbors such as Estonia, to larger countries such as the United States. Russia was accused of using the cyber aspect of information warfare on Estonia over a three-week period in 2007, blocking government websites, political parties, banks, and more. As one of the most wired nations in Europe, Estonia was also the most vulnerable to attack,and both its public and private sectors were targeted and damaged. Russia has also targeted Polish military websites multiple times, posting false information criticizing the Polish government and their allies. Fake documents purporting to belong to someone within the Polish military were also created by the Russians in order to sow confusion. Before the 2020 presidential election in the United States, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Christopher Wray, warned that Russia was planning to engage in information warfare to disrupt the elections. This, he said, would be done through social media, where Russians planned to create “bots” and other fake accounts to spread disinformation about the election and the candidates. Wray stated that Russian interference would be worse than it had been in 2016, when U.S. infrastructure was targeted and heavily affected. In 2016, Russians stole information about Americans to open bank accounts to purchase advertisements on social media sites, along with physical merchandise to stage rallies. Russian-sponsored sites were used to disparage the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, and encourage votes for the Republican candidate, Donald Trump. Russia was also behind the hacking and release of thousands of emails from Clinton’s inbox.
Along with targeting nation-states, Russia has targeted companies in the private sector, one of which was a major gasoline and oil company. Colonial Pipeline Co. was hacked in 2021 by hackers residing in Eastern Europe and Russia, affecting the flow of gasoline to the East Coast. The Russian government has a long history of targeting other nations and organizations with information warfare, but the most well-known and important example is what is happening now during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Info War in Ukraine
Even before the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th, 2022, Russia had been using information warfare in the region in an attempt to destabilize it and divide the population. Pro-Russian accounts dispersed false information about Russia’s involvement within Donetsk, which allowed them to take over the area easier. However, right now, the importance of controlling the information sector has never been more evident. Social media is one of the most widely used ways to disperse and learn new information, and bothUkraine and Russia are using it in an attempt to control the narrative of the war.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s Twitter account is where many Ukrainians find their information about the war. However, many comments under his tweets are filled with Russian bots spreading false information about the war in an attempt to stir up confusion. Since the invasion began, Ukraine has shut down more than 100,000 fake social media accounts spreading false information about the war. They have also shut down Russian bot farms, which facilitate the spread of mass disinformation.
Along with Western governments, which are attempting to counter the information warfare of Russia, the hacking group Anonymous has declared cyber war on Russia. They have attacked Russian government websites and satellites in an attempt to spread accurate information to the Russian general public about what is happening in Ukraine — most Russians have no way to get truthful information about what is happening, as in-country news is heavily censored. The group has leaked emails, documents, and more information that the Russian government did not want anyone to see.
Russia has been spreading false information, trying to convince its citizens that Ukrainian aggression led to this “special operation”, as the Russians call it, and insisting that Ukrainians are committing crimes against humanity, not Russians. Along with this, Russian media and the Kremlin have continuously claimed that Russia is advancing as predicted and are meeting little to no resistance. This is false: the Russian government planned for a swift victory over Ukraine, but it has been more than 50 days since they invaded. An estimated 2,000 civilians have been killed thus far, and many of the bodies which have been recovered showed signs of torture and abuse. However, the Russian government has continued to push the narrative that Russia has committed no war crimes.
A Danger to Information Freedom
Information warfare has been used by Putin’s Kremlin since he first took office. Whether against other nations, foreign companies, or even through spreading disinformation to his own citizens, he has done it, and done it successfully. Invisible but dangerous, information warfare allows for the spread of false information, can split a population, and it can even cause enough mass confusion that it endangers citizens. This type of warfare is an asset to invaders; it will be used in the future before and during assaults and takeovers. As technology improves and disinformation becomes harder to spot, this method of warfare will become more dangerous and complex.