Hybrid Warfare: Russia’s Access to Every Ukrainian Citizen

In a response to SIGNAL Media’s question about Russia’s hybrid warfare capabilities, CSIS senior fellow Kate Bondar says the nation is still very much underestimated.

“Hybrid warfare is, first of all, very effective,” she began. “Due to hybrid warfare, Ukraine has lost many chances and opportunities to actually win this war, and Russia has prepared really well.”

Russian actors have hacked and accessed all Ukrainian registries and stolen information on every Ukrainian citizen, Bondar stated. 

“I know this because they were calling me, attacking me. They knew everything about me,” she highlighted. “Basically, they have a database of every Ukrainian as of 2022, and this happened right before the full-scale invasion.”

Access to information helps Russia track and find people, predict mobilization resources, and draft numbers and locations. “Trust me,” Bondar stressed, “there’s so much that can be done only with that information, and we are already in kinetic war.”

Russian propaganda and political corruption have also influenced nations within the European Union, she added. “They got Hungary, they got Slovakia, they got Austria, because [the] Austrian government is very corrupt and every second politician is being bribed by Russians, and they have [a] very pro-Russian government.”

Various news reports support that assertion. Hungary and Russia signed a 12-point plan to develop closer economic ties, Politico reported in April.

Additionally, the Associated Press reported that Austria’s links to Russia cause concern among allies, and Reuters reported last year that Slovakia wants to normalize relations with Russia.

The shift creates an imbalance inside the union, Bondar emphasized, creating further challenges for Ukrainians as they fight in a continuous war. 

“I wouldn’t underestimate hybrid warfare,” she said. “We just maybe need to connect the dots and see how effective it is.”