"Russian tanks rolled toward the borders of Georgia, the battle had already begun-shaped decisively by large-scale cyberattacks and cognitive warfare. Weeks before the first shots, cyberspace erupted with coordinated attacks crippling Georgian government and media websites, including distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) and defacements. Simultaneously, state-controlled and aligned media saturated both domestic and international audiences with fabricated narratives portraying Georgian aggression, warnings of impending genocide in South Ossetia, and accusations blaming the U.S. for encouraging Georgian belligerence through NATO membership promises."
"Of particular note for this article, Russia's weaponized narratives before, during, and after the invasion constructed a false reality that attempted to influence-at the speed of global media-and with some success, how the West and a broader international audience understood what was happening in Georgia-and why it was happening-with the goal to manipulate Western views, decisions, and actions. Of the many lessons Russia learned in its invasion of Georgia in 2008, that may have been one of the most important."
Russian forces in 2008 integrated conventional military operations with large-scale cyberattacks and cognitive warfare to shape battlefield conditions and international perception. Weeks before kinetic fighting, coordinated DDoS attacks and website defacements crippled Georgian government and media online presence. State-controlled and aligned media broadcast fabricated narratives accusing Georgia of aggression, warning of genocide in South Ossetia, and blaming U.S. encouragement via NATO promises. These tailored information operations sowed confusion, paralysis, and diplomatic isolation as Russian forces advanced. The campaign demonstrated the effectiveness of weaponized narratives, Active Measures, and Reflexive Control to influence Western views, decisions, and actions, informing later operations against Ukraine.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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