Russian Hybrid War against Ukraine: Were Russian Unconventional Paramilitary Formations a Key Component during the Crimea Annexation and War in Donbass
Abstract
Ukraine is now on the front line of a new generation of hostilities, in which Russia is overshadowing the boundary between war and peace. For Ukraine the point of reference in this new generation of war has become the Kremlin's seizure and annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea in February-March 2014. Two months later, in April 2014, Russia began an armed conflict on the Eastern part of Ukraine, which continues to this day. The Kremlin says that the ethnic Russians in the Crimea used the international right to self-determination and armed conflict in the Donbas is the struggle of ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking people against the government in Kyiv, but as retired US Army generals Wesley Clark and John M. Keane highlight the "truth is that" it is a planned, guided and financed Russian new generation of hostilities which today could be consider as a hybrid war. This work analyzes two case studies assessing the role of Russian unconventional paramilitary formations during Russian Hybrid War against Ukraine. Finally, based on the findings presented in this research, the author provides recommendations which may help to develop an effective strategy of reforming and modifying the Ukrainian army for a successful counter-action in the future. Moreover, the material presented in this research can be useful for the European security experts since there is a threat of a repetition of the Ukrainian scenario in the Baltic States.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 14, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1105230
Entities
People
- Sergii Sundukov
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College