Hybrid lies

I was sent an article by an American friend this week.

In the accompanying explanatory note he enthused that it was an ‘Amazingly good article about Russia, its war tactics and implications for the West.’

It was from the Financial Times and in fact it was poorly written and constructed.

Looking past that, the article hypothesised, as fact, that Russia is perfecting a new style of ‘hybrid’ warfare in the Ukraine, combining terrorism, broadcast media control, social media blitzes, covert political funding, remote missile launches and old school troop deployment.

Undoubtedly true. But also undoubtedly they are not alone in these efforts.

Later in the week I read articles in the Guardian and elsewhere all peddling exactly the same line.

A note to the disinformation office; as part of your own hybrid warfare tactics when you use broadcast and social media to plug a line it’s more effective if you (a) create more then one credible source for the hypothesis, and (b) vary the language up a little.