Maskirovka

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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.”

1. 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.