Maroc - EURASIAREVIEW.COM - A la une - 20/Sep 15:49

Revisiting Russian Information Warfare In Crimea – OpEd

Information warfare aims to create a narrative or propaganda among the enemy’s population by using various psychological operations, widely referred to as PSYOPS. In the 21st century, access to information has become very easy because of the extensive use and availability of the Internet, hence, making information warfare easier. In such a world, people can easily be deceived and manipulated, specifically, the younger generation who are technology savvy. The information and psychological operations are aimed at spreading fear, hate, rumors and at the same time a sense of hope to create a particular narrative in the minds of the people. The 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian authorities is a well-depicted picture of information warfare. The operations were run so swiftly that only in a matter of weeks the Russian authorities took control of Crimea.  The foremost thing to successfully run the information warfare is creating a wrong sense of fear among the population of the adversary and Russia followed the same strategy. The majority of the Crimean population speaks the Russian language, which helped the Russian authorities in building a narrative in people’s minds. The Russian-speaking population was made to believe that their government was more unjust to the Russian masses residing in the territory. This chronicle was constructed using diverse networks like Print media, social media and other forms of communication channels. To further its stance on Crimea, fake news was spread by Russian authorities that the territory always belonged to Russia. The campaign was so massively run that it even involved the top leadership of Russia – President Vladimir Putin stated on one of the occasions that "Crimean territory was part of the Russian Federation and the individuals on both sides accept this fact". This rumor was shaped in order to justify their invasion on the Crimean state. In addition to that, Vladimir Putin stated that "The Russian administration already had held a plebiscite with the United Nations therefore it was a fair invasion". According to reports, in 2014, the Federation of Russia spent almost 19 million dollars to raise voices for the annexation of Crimea. To spread their agenda, several platforms including Telegram, X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and some other state-controlled media outlets like Sputnik and Russian Today were used. One of the reports revealed that the Russian administration in collaboration with the 'Internet Research Agency' has rented more than thousands of people who were tasked to make 100 posts per day on social media in support of the Russian government. In one instance, a story was shared showing a 13-year-old kid murdered by the Ukrainian army in a civic area of Ukraine. While nothing was true regarding the story, most of the pro-Russians believed it to be true. Another story was about a Ukrainian doctor named Igor Rosovsky, who was burned alive for supporting pro-nationalistic views about Crimea. This story was spread very swiftly and people believed it to be correct despite the baselessness of the story. People rented by the Russian authorities would generate false articles, blogs, and videos to gain international support for the annexation of Crimea. One of the major roles was played by the Russian state control media including Sputnik and Russian Today. False reports about the cruelty against the Russian ethnic minority were aired to shape the perception of the people around the globe. These channels also portrayed Ukraine’s government as ‘Nazis’ and on the contrary presented kindly feeling towards the Russian government. According to details, a total of 71% of the Crimean population supported Russia’s invasion plan. Given so, their media remained successful in influencing the international community that Russia’s invasion was justified. The Russian invasion of Crimea carries lessons for the whole world. The Russian media carefully managed to manipulate the pro-Russian population who lived in Crimea. They were made to believe that they were victims of the incumbent government. The content usually consisted of false stories, images, videos and blogs about the Ukrainian government's oppression against the pro-Russian race in Crimea. Initially, the Russian authorities focused more on social media for propaganda and then on mainstream media to shape domestic as well as international opinion, thus justifying the Crimean invasion. Furthermore, information warfare requires fewer resources for any state to engage its adversary and achieve its objectives. An abundance of information gives a state an upper hand over the enemy. The occurrence of the internet, social networks and television has become a novel foundation for news; however, in times of war and crises, it is not a credible option because of the availability of wrong information which could easily impact the thinking of the masses. Information warfare is too old which dates back to the early times; however, it is more relevant today given the wider use of technology particularly social media platforms. This case study shows that public perception and propaganda are at the heart of warfare in contemporary times.