Стр. 10 - V

Author : V. Kotlyar
Member of the International Law Council, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation,
Member of the Russian International Law Association, Envoy Extraordinary and Mnister Plenipoten-
tiary, Doctor of Science (Law)
THE TERM "HYBRID WARFARE," the recent favorite with the
media, is an ad hoc invention of American military experts and po-
litical scientists used to describe the response of Russia and the pop-
ulation of the Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine to the coup
d'état in Kiev.
In Russia, military experts are divided on the hybrid warfare con-
cept. The first approach stresses the use of latest information, com-
munication and social technologies to reformat, through de
stabilization, the population of the countries which the United
States finds unpalatable. According to this interpretation, hybrid
warfare relies on irregular military units, special services, subversion,
provocations and similar methods, information and financial-eco-
nomic operations, cyberattacks, and psychological impact on people's behavior.
INTERNATIONAL LAW interprets warfare as large-scale fighting between armed forces of
states. The media's steady interest in hybrid warfare has been ignited and is being maintained by
the leaders and the press of the NATO and EU members holding forth about Russia's role in
hybrid warfare unfolding in Ukraine. This is part of the anti-Russian information campaign de-
signed to associate Russia with the beginning of hybrid warfare in Ukraine or even a real civil
war in this country.
It was concluded that the norms of international law related to the principle of self-determina-
tion of peoples do not encourage separation from the original state; they prefer the so-called
"inner self-determination," that is, legally confirmed rights of the peoples ensured within a state
through confederation, federation, autonomy or other forms of self-administration.
We should bear in mind that at that time President Yanukovich and authorities in Crimea and
the big cities of Southeastern Ukraine elected in 2010 were the only legitimate power structures
in Ukraine. The new government in Kiev was appointed by Maidan; this government and the
Supreme Rada were controlled by extremists groups which persecuted the parliamentary factions
of the Party of the Regions and the Communist Party.
The West never tires of accusing Russia of "aggression" against Ukraine yet the term "war" to
say nothing of "aggression" is inapplicable to what Russia is doing in relation to Ukraine. There
are no regular Russian units in Ukraine fighting the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The above men-
tioned Cambridge professor of international law specifically pointed to this in his interview.
Not a single shot was fired in Crimea; reunification with Russia was based on the overwhelming
majority of votes. The same applies to the referendums in Donetsk and Lugansk.
Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Who Is Waging "Hybrid Warfare" in Ukraine?