Russian-Chechen Information Warfare 1994-2006

Oct 2006, Vol. 151, No. 5
By Dan Fayutkin

According to the military, information warfare is a general term used to describe an information campaign initiated in order to further your own goals at the expense of your enemy. Information warfare is not only waged against enemy forces but also against society as a whole – so as to influence public opinion as well as the political decision-making process. Due to the multi-faceted nature of information, the definition of information warfare can be stretched to include combinations with other types of warfare such as electronic warfare, psychological warfare, intelligence warfare and computer warfare.


This article will analyze the Chechens' psychological warfare against the Russians between 1994 and 2006. Particular emphasis will be given to the propaganda placed in the Russian media. In fact, the Chechen information campaign had a significant influence on the development of the conflict. During its initial phases, the Chechens did not exploit every information warfare tool available to them; rather, they concentrated their efforts on psychological, electronic and computer warfare.


Major Dan Fayutkin is Head of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Doctrine Section in the IDF GHQ.





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