Russian military hybrid operations in Ukraine: Adapting strategy and tactics to the contemporary structure of war

In: Međunarodni problemi: International problems, Band 71, Heft 4, S. 423-446

Abstract

With the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, more than a decade old term of
hybrid warfare was brought back to life. The frequent usage of the term
"hybrid warfare" on a global scale inconsequentially produced an alteration
of the term's true meaning. In an attempt to define a hybrid war various
aspects of power are being added, sometimes by mistake, which can be
employed in a military manner. This paper will explore the concept of hybrid
warfare in Ukraine on the premises of Russian military operations and their
method of employing military force in the next generation of warfare. The
main research subject represents the study of operational and tactical
components of the military-political happenings on Crimea and in the region
of Donbas, as well as the study of the modern approach in the deployment and
utilization of military forces in the next generation of warfare. The
altered visage of modern warfare, affected by various socio-economic and
technological changes, also demands certain adjustments to military strategy
and tactics in terms of force employment and how these efforts correlate
with geopolitical goals and the manner in which they are accomplished. In
the paper, the author will use a variety of primary and secondary sources in
order to set a comprehensive theoretical foundation that will help us with
the ongoing analysis of the Ukrainian war and the role of Russian armed
forces in it. The goal of this study is to grasp and explain the changed
concept of military force as well as to call attention to the dynamic nature
of military strategy, which is constantly adjusting itself to the volatile
character of war. The main findings of this paper are focused on a partial
displacement of the Klauzewitzian centre of gravity, from higher strategic
levels towards lower operational and tactical levels of military
organization, as well as the fact that the Russian armed forces have managed
to successfully reinvent itself after numerous political and economic
hardships that have ensued after the collapse of the Soviet Union.