Background:
The Russia–Ukraine hybrid war represents a paradigmatic shift in the nature of military conflicts, with the integration of cognitive, informational, and kinetic operations as core instruments of strategic accomplishment. This study aims to provide a cognitive–strategic analysis of this war and develop a conceptual model to elucidate the mechanisms of cognitive threats within the architecture of Russian hybrid warfare.
Methods:
The present study was conducted using a qualitative documentary analysis approach. Data were collected from a wide range of official reports, strategic documents, specialized academic articles, and credible international sources covering the period from 2014 to 2024. The collected data were analyzed through thematic analysis using MAXQDA 2020 software, employing open, axial, and selective coding procedures.
Findings:
Results indicate that hybrid warfare is structured around three key domains: “cognitive threats,” “informational operations,” and “kinetic actions.” In the cognitive threats domain, tactics such as narrative engineering, perception manipulation, and elite targeting were identified. Informational operations encompass cyber warfare, intensive use of social media platforms, and psychological operations. Kinetic actions serve as the physical implementation of these threats, providing support and amplification to the cognitive and informational layers.
Conclusion:
The conclusion indicates that the Russia–Ukraine hybrid war has a cognitive–strategic nature and is shaped by the synergistic interaction of information operations, cognitive threats, and kinetic actions. In this model, information operations redefine battlefield reality, cognitive threats target perception and will, while kinetic actions intensify and reinforce this cycle.