RUSSIA´S Cyber Strategy Published

Russia’s Defense Ministry has published the concept of the armed forces within the information space that reflects Russia’s strategy in cyberwar.

From Jan 2012 Russia has its own cyber-strategy. The document titled “Conceptual Views Regarding the Activity of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Information Space”, written at the end of 2011, was published on the Defense Ministry’s website (download here the document in Russian language: Russia’s Cyber Strategy). (see herebelow for translation)

Some surprise has been reported because the document was prepared by the Defense Ministry which hadn’t shown particular interest in cyberwar, rather than from the Federal Security Service or the President’s Security Council.

Russia must be ready for wars in space and in networks, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Nikolai Makarov said. “warfare center has moved to aerospace and information spheres, including cyber security, from traditional war theatres on land and sea. Concepts of network-centric war have made great progress,” Makarov told an Academy of Military Sciences meeting talking also about cyberdefence. “We appraise how … this question is being solved in Western leading countries.”

Makarov also said that an initial period of war had begun to exert a decisive influence on its course and outcome so modern wars became more short-timed.

The chief added that hi-tech technologies force to cut number of soldiers for higher effectiveness of troops’ actions.

The concept is a few pages document, almost half of which is explanation of specific terms. The concept are in the second half and takes up the smaller part of the document. (download here some extracts in English – not certified: 120414 Russia’s Cyber Strategy (translation))

The document doesn’t mention Russia’s offensive operations in cyberspace. The concept has 3 main points: control, prevention and solution of cyber conflicts.

Interestingly, Russian cyberwar ideologists do not rule out the possibility of using methods common for military conflicts in cyberspace.

The document says “the escalation of a conflict in the cyberspace and its turn into a crisis gives the right to an individual or collective self-defense and the use of any means necessary that do not contradict the universally accepted norms and the principles of international law”.

Another provision of the concept that may be regarded as an apologia of offensive operations touches upon cyber security forces on the territory of other states. The presence of the forces may be voluntary on the part of the state or “in accordance with international law”.

The document recall the idea of repelling cyber threats by means of warfare that in reality was published initially by US in the “International strategy for cyber space” (download here) issued 2011.