Guerre de l'information : le web russe dans le conflit en Ukraine
Since the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine, Russia has been waging an information war.
Russian information warfare reflects its perception of its relationship towards the West as being that of a state of permanent conflict which needs the use of alternative tools to weaken both the enemy’s will and the capabilities. Up to this day, Russian information warfare has followed two main lines of actions: tightening the control over the Russian internet, in order to prevent any scenario of popular uprising coupled with an activist use of the web; and undermining the objectivity of Western and Ukrainian media coverage of the crisis. Despite some successes at the beginning of the conflict, Russian heavy-handed propaganda techniques did not allow the Kremlin to influence the international media as much as the alleged ambitions and the current means could lead to expect. They are, on the contrary, harming Russia's image both in its Near Abroad and in the West.
This content is available in French: Guerre de l'information : le web russe dans le conflit en Ukraine
Julien NOCETTI
Associate Fellow, Russia/Eurasia Center and Center for Geopolitics of Technology, Ifri
Security Studies Center
Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.
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