Information Power and Russia’s National Security Objectives

Abstract

Russia’s operations in the information domain are an integral part of Russia’s interactions in the international environment. As one of Russia’s levers of national power, information operations work in concert with all other levers of national power to achieve a defined list of Russia’s national security objectives. Judging from pronouncements, policies, doctrine, and actions, it appears that Russia’s objectives are: 1) Protect the Putin regime; 2) Control the post-Soviet space; 3) Counterweigh the unipolar actor in the world; 4) Portray Russia as an indispensable player in world affairs; and 5) Divide and disrupt the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU). Russian information operations can be traced through information themes directly to those Russian national security objectives. Some themes can address multiple objectives simultaneously, and the methods for communication can differ based on the target. However, Russian information operations are not standalone activities but work in concert with all other levers of national power to achieve Russia’s overarching objectives.