Whether under the moniker of Russia new-generation warfare, the Gerasimov Doctrine, or hybrid warfare, Putin’s playbook combines disinformation and deniability with the use of disruptive technologies to target states’ strengths and exploit their weaknesses. It also entails cultivating economic dependencies, especially on Russian-supplied energy, while brandishing and using improved, unconventional, conventional, and nuclear military capabilities. With this playbook, Putin aims to kill his neighbor’s cow and restore Russia’s relative power.
