This book examines Russian influence operations globally, in Europe, and in Russia's neighboring countries, and provides a comprehensive overview of the latest technologies and forms of strategic communication employed in hybrid warfare. Given the growing importance of comprehensive information warfare as a new and rapidly advancing type of international conflict in which knowledge is a primary target, the book examines Russia's role in Global Knowledge Warfare.

The content is divided into three parts, the first of which addresses conceptual issues such as the logic of information warfare, the role of synthetic media, and Russia's foreign policy concepts, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on influence operations. The second part analyzes technological, legal and strategic challenges in modern hybrid warfare, while the third focuses on textual, cultural and historical patterns in information warfare, also from various regional (e.g. the Western Balkans, Romania,Ukraine, and the Baltic) perspectives. The book is primarily intended for scholars in the fields of international relations, security and the military sciences who are interested in Russian foreign policy and influence operations, but also their impact on the global security environment.

Autorentext

Dr. Holger Mölder is Associate Professor of International Relations at Tallinn University of Technology, whose academic activities focus on various international security issues. His main research interests and publications cover cooperative security issues, political cultures, influence and information operations, conspiracy theories and psychological warfare. 

Dr. Vladimir Sazonov is Senior Research Fellow at the Estonian Military Academy and Associate Professor at the University of Tartu's Centre for Oriental Studies and Research Fellow at the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences. He has published extensively on Russian state ideology, propaganda, Middle Eastern history, politics, and security.  

Dr. Archil Chochia is Senior Researcher at TalTech Law School, part of Tallinn University of Technology. He has more than 80 academic publications to his credit and is a co-editor of the books Political and Legal Perspectives of the EU Eastern Partnership Policy (Springer, 2016) and Brexit: History, Reasoning and Perspectives (Springer, 2018). 

Dr. Tanel Kerikmäe is Full Professor of Law and Director of TalTech Law School (Estonia). His recent research areas concern artificial intelligence and law and other law and tech issues. Prof. Kerikmäe has edited several books published by Springer, Ashgate, Kluwer, Oxford and Cambridge publishers. 

Inhalt
Introduction. The Russian Federation and new challenges of modern warfare (H. Mölder, V. Sazonov, A. Chochia, T. Kerikmäe).- Part I. Concept of Information Warfare and Foreign Policy Tools of the Russian Federation.- Chapter 1. Global Knowledge Warfare, Strategic Imagination, Uncertainty and Fear (H. Mölder, E. Shiraev).- Chapter 2. Synthetic Media and Information Warfare: Assessing Potential Threats (I. Kalpokas, J. Kalpokiene).- Chapter 3. Russian Strategic Communication towards Europe: Goals, Means and Measures (J. Godzimirski).- Chapter 4. Mass Media Instrumentalization in Foreign Policy of States. Russian Strategic Toolset (T. Mare).- Chapter 5. The Russian Doctrine - the way for political elites to maximize an efficiency of information warfare (D. Petraitis).- Chapter 6. Propaganda Gone Viral: A Theory of Chinese and Russian COVID Diplomacy in the Age of Social Media (N. Foster).- Part II. Influence Operations, Hybrid Warfare and Technological Awareness.- Chapter 7. The Russian Influence Strategy in its Contested Neighbourhood (M. Marsili).- Chapter 8. The Hybrid Arsenal of Russia's War against the Democratic World (E. Tsybulenko, A. Kajander).- Chapter 9. Information aggression a battlefield of smartphones (K. Nyman Metcalf).- Chapter 10. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and the International Humanitarian Law. Case study: Russia (M. Kohv, A. Chochia).- Chapter 11. Hybrid situational awareness against cyber-attacks (D. Antunes, M. Esteve).- Chapter 12. European Union's Strategy and Capabilities to Counter Adverse Influence Operations in Europe (R. Loik, V. Madeira).- PART III. Strategic environment and interpretation of history in Kremlin's influence operations.- Chapter 13. Russia's strategic blame narratives: Comparative analysis of domestic and international media coverage about 5G. (A. Ventsel, M. L. Madisson, S. Hansson).- Chapter 14. Russian Influence Campaigns Against NATO in the Baltic Region: Spread of Chaos and Divide et Impera (P. Shuker, L. Topor).- Chapter 15.  Russia in the Western Balkans: Interests and Tools of Influence (M. Cruz).- Chapter 16. Russia's strategy for influence operations through public diplomacy: The Romanian case (C. Hlihor, E. Hlihor).- Chapter 17. Battles for History. Combats pour l'histoire as the Elements of Russian Information Warfare. Ukrainian Case (E. Mahda, T. Vodotyka).- Chapter 18. Interpretation of historical facts in documentary movies about the occupation of Lithuania in 1940 by Soviet troops (G. Buiunas).- Chapter 19. Between History and Propaganda: Estonia and Latvia in Russian Historical Narratives (V. Sazonov, S. Pakhomenko, I. Kopytin)