Western Narratives and Russian Disinformation, Three Years into Great-Power Conflict

Abstract

ABSTRACT This special issue here marks the third year of the Russia-Ukraine War. The included essays discuss Western narratives that explain pre-war perspectives of a potential conflict as well ongoing Russian disinformation campaigns. The introduction argues that expectations about a quick Russian victory, while proven wrong, had considerable reasoning, and that current expectations of Russian defeat are premature. Disinformation that targets Ukraine, the wider West, and even domestic Russian audiences, is discussed extensively in these pages. This information warfare is seen as an enduring and serious threat. Papers in this issue look at active-measures campaigns tied to both nuclear and biological weapons. Other pieces look to understand the poor military performance of the Russian military by explaining Moscow’s coup-proofing strategies; another approach looks to the shortcomings of military indoctrination and ideology since the 1990s.