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Excerpt
Russia is a paper tiger. The war in Ukraine proves it. A two week “special operation” has lasted longer than the Soviet Union’s involvement in the Second World War. Millions of young men have been thrown into a meat grinder to satisfy Vladimir Putin’s imperial ambition.
Russia cannot win a traditional war against the West. Only its nuclear arsenal, and the threat of mutually assured destruction, allow it to misbehave with relative impunity. Unable to achieve decisive victories, it has instead become a master of information warfare.
Russian information warfare does not aim to convince Western publics that Moscow is virtuous. It succeeds when citizens conclude that truth is unknowable, institutions are corrupt, and political participation is futile.