Advent of technology has opened up newer dimensions of conflict, parallel to wars which are conventionally fought on land, air or sea. This type of war may not be explicitly visible in terms of loud explosion and scary warmachines. But the warfare is more devastating that the conventional one.

Cyber warfare has the capacity to cripple an entire nation, let alone the armed forces. Countries are highly dependent on tech and a well-calibrated cyber strike can wreak havoc without the attacker having to use conventional weapons. The cyber capabilities have increasingly been used to influence public opinion and perception in the target country. Russia is understood to have formidable cyber warfare capabilities
“This type of warfare is known as “fourth generation warfare or hybrid warfare, which is a combination of war on ground, coupled with cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, spreading of disinformation on social media networks, mobilization of covert sabotage groups and causing disturbances of law and order,” said Brijesh Singh, senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and cybersecurity expert.

Russia’s invasion on Ukraine was accompanied by reports of cyber attacks. Ukraine said that the country’s defence ministry and armed forces as well as two state banks had been hit by a cyberattack. Ukraine pointed finger at Russia. It denied the allegation.

“We do not know anything. As expected, Ukraine continues blaming Russia for everything,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on February 16.

“All these activities are carried out in a highly coordinated fashion what an intent to create a kind of domino effect in multiple domains. Information warfare or disinformation campaigns are used to create a cacophony of narratives which totally confuses the populace in the target country,” said Brijesh Singh.