New report available from StratCom outlines Kremlin «fifth domain» war

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A report added Friday to the online library of the NATO strategic Communications Center of Excellence (STRATCOMCOE), which is based in Riga, lifts the lid on attempts by the Kremlin to project ts power in cyberspace.

Titled Putin’s Cyberwar: Russia’s Statecraft in the Fifth Domain the report is written by Andrew Foxall of the Henry Jackson Society, a conservative British think tank named after a US Senator.

"Russia is at war with the West," the report begins in eye-catching fashion, citing the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko in London, the invasion of Georgia and the seizure of Crimea and subsequent conflict in Donbas as examples.

"Russia is the only country to date to have combined cyberwarfare with conventional warfare," the report says.

"As far as the Kremlin is concerned, geeks and hackers now rank alongside soldiers and spies as weapons of the state."

"The more Russia develops its capabilities, the more aggressive and confident it will become," it warns, explaining that to the Kremlin 'cyberwar' is a much broader term than simply launching denial of service attacks on websites, also involving propaganda, coordinated media efforts, trolling and more.

"The West should take a tougher approach to Russia's cyber warfare; investing resources in intelligence gathering, addressing weaknesses that facilitate the Kremlin's activities and financing an education programme for internet security," it recommends.

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