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AP Photo / Michael Sohn
In the Russian military doctrine there is not a definition of “hybrid war”, and reported about it with reference to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the official representative of the German government Steffen Seibert misled the participants of the briefing in Berlin, told RIA Novosti press-Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Germany Denis Mikerin.
“This wording is not unfounded and misleads inexperienced audience. It follows from this that Russia is considering the possibility of waging a hybrid war against its potential enemies. Notice that the Chancellor put it somewhat differently, stating that “the conduct of hybrid warfare does play a role in the military doctrine of Russia”, — said Mikerin.
Earlier at a government briefing on Wednesday, Seibert said, answering a question of journalists concerning the possible intervention of Russia in election campaign in Germany, Chancellor Merkel stated its position on this issue at a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on may 2. “The Chancellor was asked if she feared, and she replied that she was not a timid man. However, there is such a phenomenon that the conduct of hybrid warfare is part of Russian military doctrine; it is openly proclaimed and the Russian military”. Meanwhile, at a press conference in Sochi, Merkel stated that “we know that cyber crime is an international challenge, and is also everywhere you can read that conducting a hybrid war in the Russian military doctrine does play a role.”
“In fact, the key documents relating to the military security of the Russian Federation – referred to the military doctrine, approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014, and national security Strategy from 31 December 2015, – in this context we are talking about a broad Toolkit of counteraction exerted on us political, economic, military and informational pressure. The latter is openly Russophobic hysteria that unfolded in the West in connection with the alleged Russian hacker attacks, accusations in our address in directing the notorious “case of Lisa” and similar nonsense. If this still has no conclusive evidence, except mysterious, not to say languid hint of some secret information not provided,” — said Mikerin.
He added that “it is also significant that prepared by the German intelligence report on alleged Russian “influence” in the German government and not given the move because they considered the evidence base weak.”
“As for the concept of “hybrid warfare”, it first gained the doctrinal fixation on the West, the USA and the NATO countries, and today, in contrast to the official Russian doctrine, is everywhere — you can just search “White paper” of the Bundeswehr. In addition, nodding in the direction of Russia and its alleged “information campaigns”, German officials rarely mention, for example, under the auspices of the European external action service “Group for strategic communications East”, “European centre for countering hybrid threats” in Helsinki, the NATO structure “StratCom” in Riga. The key objective of these structures is no secret: under cover of some bloated Russian threat they aim to counter our country in the information space” — said Mikerin.
“If our German partners have concerns in connection with certain information threats, we are ready for their candid discussion within the framework of existing consultation mechanisms. For this purpose they have been created, including ICT. And again and again to load the empty allegations of the information broadcast at least unconstructive, and not serious,” he added.