Russia confirms for first time scale of cyber war effort

Homeland February 24, 2017

Russia has stated for the first time the scale of its cyber warfare, making it a priority for the military following the 2008 conflict with Georgia.

Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, didn’t give specifics on how or what may have been targeted but told MPs in Russia’s lower house of parliament “information troops” were proving more “effective and stronger than the former counter-propaganda section”.

Mr Shoigu added: “Propaganda should be smart, competent and effective.”

The admission comes after several allegations have been made in the role Russia played in leaks during the US presidential campaign, which saw Donald Trump become President of the United States.

Keir Giles, an expert on the Russian military at the Chatham House think-tank told the BBC that Russia’s “information warfare” encompassed more than just hacking.

In a Nato report called ‘The Next Phase of Russian Information Warfare’, Mr Giles wrote: “The aim is to control information in whatever form it takes.”

There have also been reports of NATO troops being targeted in the Baltic states, the Polish military, and Ukrainian troops fighting pro-Russian rebels, even going as far as to target their social media profiles.

Mr Giles said the emphasis on information warfare came after Russia’s perceived failure to control public opinion on the legitimacy of the conflict with Georgia.