MASKIROVKA - the Russian strategic disinformation tactic that you really need to know about, as a social media active person.
This is a long thread that breaks down the concept and evolution of the tactics. Take 5 mins to read this thread, and improve your knowledge to protect yourself from falling victim to disinformation - it is worth investing in your personal knowledge armoury!
The practice of military deception is not new. Sun Tzu’s treatise from the fifth century B.C, The Art of War, avowed a strategy of deception: “I will force the enemy to take our strength for weakness, and our weakness for strength, and thus will turn his strength into weakness.” The practice of military deception is not new. Sun Tzu’s treatise from the fifth century B.C., The Art of War, avowed a strategy of deception: “I will force the enemy to take our strength for weakness, and our weakness for strength, and thus will turn his strength into weakness.”
#Maskirovka, here are a few definitions to consider:
In 1988 Dr Charles Smith defined it as “Maskirovka is simply defined as a set of processes designed to mislead, confuse and interfere with accurate data collection regarding all areas of Soviet plans, objectives, strengths or weaknesses”.
In 2015 Dr Julian Lindley-French published a book called NATO: countering strategic Maskirovka. He defined it as “Maskirovka is in fact war, that is short of war. A purposeful strategy of deception that combines use of force with disinformation and destabilisation to create ambiguity in the minds of Alliance leaders about how best to respond”.
In 2016, Major Morgan Maier published “A little Masquerade”, in which he defined it as “the historical word used to describe deception in Russia. Translated into English it means “little #masquerade”. Like other complex cultural ideas, Russia’s conceptualisation of deception, defies simple definitions”.
The origins of the term maskirovka is disputed. Russian scholars go back to the Battle of Kulikovo, which took place on 8 September 1380. The battlefield, some 120 miles south of Moscow, was the venue where Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy of Moscow divided his mounted fighters into two groups and thus fooled the Mongol Golden.
Till World War II maskirovka was considered a typical military tool, but that changed during the Cold War when Soviet authorities started employing it as one of many Soviet government activities. In 1966, Russian strategist Major General Vasilii Reznichenko acknowledged that maskirovka was more than simply a military tactic for #deception. He defined maskirovka as a ‘set of measures that consists of such actions as concealing true targets and installing simulated ones to deceive and confuse the enemy, and the use of disinformation.’ It reflects the mechanisms of hiding and showing.
Evgeni #Messner: :Creating manageable chaos”. Messner initially shaped his views during the Russian Civil War, experiencing first-hand combat against an opponent that used irregular methods, terror and #propaganda. Later, during World War II, he witnessed guerrilla tactics used by the Chetniks in the Balkans. Messner compiled his experiences in the concept of myatezh voina, or subversive warfare, therein expressing his belief that future conflicts would no longer be fought on front lines.
Psychological operations were an important element of warfare. Messner emphasized the use of maskirovka in order to destabilize command structures and to create ‘fog of war’. The main purpose was to create a manageable form of chaos. While Messner’s publications had been officially banned in the Soviet Union because of his anti-Communistic views, it came as no surprise that his writings enjoyed a considerable revival during the Putin era.
In 2005, the library of the Russian Military Academy issued a Russian publication, based on the legacy of Messner with the title ‘If you want peace, defeat the rebellion!’ Today Messner’s ideas are taught in Russian officers’ courses.
This is a long thread that breaks down the concept and evolution of the tactics. Take 5 mins to read this thread, and improve your knowledge to protect yourself from falling victim to disinformation - it is worth investing in your personal knowledge armoury!
The practice of military deception is not new. Sun Tzu’s treatise from the fifth century B.C, The Art of War, avowed a strategy of deception: “I will force the enemy to take our strength for weakness, and our weakness for strength, and thus will turn his strength into weakness.” The practice of military deception is not new. Sun Tzu’s treatise from the fifth century B.C., The Art of War, avowed a strategy of deception: “I will force the enemy to take our strength for weakness, and our weakness for strength, and thus will turn his strength into weakness.”
#Maskirovka, here are a few definitions to consider:
In 1988 Dr Charles Smith defined it as “Maskirovka is simply defined as a set of processes designed to mislead, confuse and interfere with accurate data collection regarding all areas of Soviet plans, objectives, strengths or weaknesses”.
In 2015 Dr Julian Lindley-French published a book called NATO: countering strategic Maskirovka. He defined it as “Maskirovka is in fact war, that is short of war. A purposeful strategy of deception that combines use of force with disinformation and destabilisation to create ambiguity in the minds of Alliance leaders about how best to respond”.
In 2016, Major Morgan Maier published “A little Masquerade”, in which he defined it as “the historical word used to describe deception in Russia. Translated into English it means “little #masquerade”. Like other complex cultural ideas, Russia’s conceptualisation of deception, defies simple definitions”.
The origins of the term maskirovka is disputed. Russian scholars go back to the Battle of Kulikovo, which took place on 8 September 1380. The battlefield, some 120 miles south of Moscow, was the venue where Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy of Moscow divided his mounted fighters into two groups and thus fooled the Mongol Golden.
Till World War II maskirovka was considered a typical military tool, but that changed during the Cold War when Soviet authorities started employing it as one of many Soviet government activities. In 1966, Russian strategist Major General Vasilii Reznichenko acknowledged that maskirovka was more than simply a military tactic for #deception. He defined maskirovka as a ‘set of measures that consists of such actions as concealing true targets and installing simulated ones to deceive and confuse the enemy, and the use of disinformation.’ It reflects the mechanisms of hiding and showing.
Evgeni #Messner: :Creating manageable chaos”. Messner initially shaped his views during the Russian Civil War, experiencing first-hand combat against an opponent that used irregular methods, terror and #propaganda. Later, during World War II, he witnessed guerrilla tactics used by the Chetniks in the Balkans. Messner compiled his experiences in the concept of myatezh voina, or subversive warfare, therein expressing his belief that future conflicts would no longer be fought on front lines.
Psychological operations were an important element of warfare. Messner emphasized the use of maskirovka in order to destabilize command structures and to create ‘fog of war’. The main purpose was to create a manageable form of chaos. While Messner’s publications had been officially banned in the Soviet Union because of his anti-Communistic views, it came as no surprise that his writings enjoyed a considerable revival during the Putin era.
In 2005, the library of the Russian Military Academy issued a Russian publication, based on the legacy of Messner with the title ‘If you want peace, defeat the rebellion!’ Today Messner’s ideas are taught in Russian officers’ courses.
The long-standing form of #maskirovka turned out to be an umbrella concept that encompasses many English terms such as camouflage, concealment, deception, imitation, disinformation, secrecy, stratagem, feints, diversion, and simulation. In order to understand the concept of maskirovka it is vital to grasp the entire concept rather than just its components.
The modern version of maskirovka is often applied in the information environment, being part of deceitful strategic communications. The main components of present-day maskirovka are concealment, disguising own activities, and deceit, openly showing off to impress the opponent. The overall aim of maskirovka is to surprise a possible opponent or to create manipulated perceptions. Once maskirovka is applied the challenge is to maintain the opponent’s status of surprise. Maskirovka is therefore very similar to deception in general.
A large part of maskirovka consists of active measures, which was a Soviet term for active intelligence operations with the purpose to influence humans or world events in order to reach one’s own geopolitical aim. It includes propaganda, subversive actions, counterfeiting official documents, the deployment of agents of influence and exerting different forms of religious suppression.
One of the mechanisms used for active measures is reflexive control, particularly used in the information environment to control the decision-making process of an opponent. Reflexive control contains four main elements: putting on power pressure, dezinformation, affecting an opponent’s decision-making algorithm, and creating time pressure. Reflexive control is not a stand-alone mechanism; the Russian Federation will always harmonize its use with other governmental influence activities. It constantly uses reflexive control, and it does not stop applying reflexive control when operations are over.
One of the means belonging to active measures to exercise reflexive control is dezinformatsiya, the Russian version of #disinformation. Dezinformatsiya is the intentional spread of inaccurate or manipulated information by #Russian authorities and media with the purpose to deceive other persons. The Soviets already found out that effective #dezinformatsiya also needs to contain some credible information, otherwise nobody will
The modern version of maskirovka is often applied in the information environment, being part of deceitful strategic communications. The main components of present-day maskirovka are concealment, disguising own activities, and deceit, openly showing off to impress the opponent. The overall aim of maskirovka is to surprise a possible opponent or to create manipulated perceptions. Once maskirovka is applied the challenge is to maintain the opponent’s status of surprise. Maskirovka is therefore very similar to deception in general.
A large part of maskirovka consists of active measures, which was a Soviet term for active intelligence operations with the purpose to influence humans or world events in order to reach one’s own geopolitical aim. It includes propaganda, subversive actions, counterfeiting official documents, the deployment of agents of influence and exerting different forms of religious suppression.
One of the mechanisms used for active measures is reflexive control, particularly used in the information environment to control the decision-making process of an opponent. Reflexive control contains four main elements: putting on power pressure, dezinformation, affecting an opponent’s decision-making algorithm, and creating time pressure. Reflexive control is not a stand-alone mechanism; the Russian Federation will always harmonize its use with other governmental influence activities. It constantly uses reflexive control, and it does not stop applying reflexive control when operations are over.
One of the means belonging to active measures to exercise reflexive control is dezinformatsiya, the Russian version of #disinformation. Dezinformatsiya is the intentional spread of inaccurate or manipulated information by #Russian authorities and media with the purpose to deceive other persons. The Soviets already found out that effective #dezinformatsiya also needs to contain some credible information, otherwise nobody will
The evolution of the Russian “maskirovka” doctrine:
As early as 1924 the Soviet high command considered deception to be “based upon the principles of activity, naturalness, diversity and continuity. It is to include secrecy, imitation, demonstrative actions and disinformation.”
By 1994 the doctrine was further expanded, within the Soviet Military Encyclopedia: “Strategic maskirovka at national and theater levels will mislead the enemy as to political and military capabilities, intentions and timing of actions.” In another echo of Sun Tzu, it continues: “War is merely an extension of politics, it includes political, economic and diplomatic measures as well as military measures.”
In March 2016 Major Morgan Maier wrote a study at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, entitled: “A Little Masquerade: Russia’s Evolving Employment of Maskirovka.” In it he contended that maskirovka, in Russia, was more than just a military tactic for deception. While it was still an important part of military actions, Maier argues that it represents a complex Russian cultural phenomenon that, we in the West, find difficult to understand. s early as 1924 the Soviet high command considered deception to be “based upon the principles of activity, naturalness, diversity and continuity. It is to include secrecy, imitation, demonstrative actions and disinformation.”
In March 2016 Major Morgan Maier wrote a study at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, entitled: “A Little Masquerade: Russia’s Evolving Employment of Maskirovka.” In it he contended that maskirovka, in Russia, was more than just a military tactic for deception. While it was still an important part of military actions, Maier argues that it represents a complex Russian cultural phenomenon that, we in the West, find difficult to understand.
Fast forward to the illegal and murderous invasion of #Ukraine in February 2022 - maskirovka has matured into a full fledged disinformation arm of the Russian state, using the likes of Wagner PMC to create and craft online troll farms to publish disinformation and misinformation, as a tool of war to interfere in foreign state elections and to disrupt economies and destabilise governments with a range of tools from disinformation to ransomware and denial of service attacks on countries infrastructure. Even Pregozhins mini-mutiny has been subjected to maskirovka - with the truths hidden and untruths amplified to control the narrative and create uncertainty in the West.
Lesson to be learned:
Maskirovka is a tactic used on the battlefield from false flag operations, to bogus troop victories and defeats. It is also used in the information warfare landscape - and Twitter is part of the lands a cape.
Be very, very wary and sceptical about information you read on social media platforms. Much of it, if not the majority of it is not what it seems - and you the reader are the pawn in a much bigger military strategy of disinformation. Check your sources, verify claims and don’t retweet posts unless you are sure you are not feeding into the strategy of Russian #maskirovka
If you found this post interesting, please share for others to take this into consideration when posting “news and events” in the War on Ukraine.
As early as 1924 the Soviet high command considered deception to be “based upon the principles of activity, naturalness, diversity and continuity. It is to include secrecy, imitation, demonstrative actions and disinformation.”
By 1994 the doctrine was further expanded, within the Soviet Military Encyclopedia: “Strategic maskirovka at national and theater levels will mislead the enemy as to political and military capabilities, intentions and timing of actions.” In another echo of Sun Tzu, it continues: “War is merely an extension of politics, it includes political, economic and diplomatic measures as well as military measures.”
In March 2016 Major Morgan Maier wrote a study at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, entitled: “A Little Masquerade: Russia’s Evolving Employment of Maskirovka.” In it he contended that maskirovka, in Russia, was more than just a military tactic for deception. While it was still an important part of military actions, Maier argues that it represents a complex Russian cultural phenomenon that, we in the West, find difficult to understand. s early as 1924 the Soviet high command considered deception to be “based upon the principles of activity, naturalness, diversity and continuity. It is to include secrecy, imitation, demonstrative actions and disinformation.”
In March 2016 Major Morgan Maier wrote a study at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, entitled: “A Little Masquerade: Russia’s Evolving Employment of Maskirovka.” In it he contended that maskirovka, in Russia, was more than just a military tactic for deception. While it was still an important part of military actions, Maier argues that it represents a complex Russian cultural phenomenon that, we in the West, find difficult to understand.
Fast forward to the illegal and murderous invasion of #Ukraine in February 2022 - maskirovka has matured into a full fledged disinformation arm of the Russian state, using the likes of Wagner PMC to create and craft online troll farms to publish disinformation and misinformation, as a tool of war to interfere in foreign state elections and to disrupt economies and destabilise governments with a range of tools from disinformation to ransomware and denial of service attacks on countries infrastructure. Even Pregozhins mini-mutiny has been subjected to maskirovka - with the truths hidden and untruths amplified to control the narrative and create uncertainty in the West.
Lesson to be learned:
Maskirovka is a tactic used on the battlefield from false flag operations, to bogus troop victories and defeats. It is also used in the information warfare landscape - and Twitter is part of the lands a cape.
Be very, very wary and sceptical about information you read on social media platforms. Much of it, if not the majority of it is not what it seems - and you the reader are the pawn in a much bigger military strategy of disinformation. Check your sources, verify claims and don’t retweet posts unless you are sure you are not feeding into the strategy of Russian #maskirovka
If you found this post interesting, please share for others to take this into consideration when posting “news and events” in the War on Ukraine.
References and original sources:
militairespectator.nl/artikelen/art-…
kyivpost.com/opinion/14819
wargaming.com/en/news/milita…
thecipherbrief.com/maskirova-russ…
militairespectator.nl/artikelen/art-…
kyivpost.com/opinion/14819
wargaming.com/en/news/milita…
thecipherbrief.com/maskirova-russ…
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