Russian Narratives: Information Warfare – War Without Bullets

 A special miniseries from the podcast 4 Minutes reveals how the Russian Federation uses words as weapons. We focus on narratives – stories that reshape reality, divide society, and undermine trust in democratic institutions. Step by step, we explore how these narratives arise, why they work, and how to resist them. Each episode is about four minutes long and focuses on a specific story, claim, or method of manipulation. This series is for anyone seeking to understand not just propaganda, but how modern wars are fought – without bullets, using words. 

Transcript

We continue our series Russian Narratives. In this episode, we’ll look at how information is used as a strategic weapon. Not a weapon that kills, but one that shapes thinking, alters reality, and undermines trust. We’ll talk about how the concept of war has changed in recent decades, and why in the modern world we often don’t see tanks or soldiers—yet war is still being waged. Today, war doesn’t have to begin with a gunshot. Sometimes, a story is enough. A well-timed message. Or a lie that feels like the truth.

In 2013, Russian General Valery Gerasimov published a professional article outlining an idea that would deeply influence Russia’s approach to conflict. Today, the text is often referred to as the Gerasimov Doctrine, though the author himself never used that name. Its main idea is simple: the line between war and peace is blurred. Instead of open battle, other means are used—economic, political, cultural, and most of all, informational.

Gerasimov wrote that in modern conflicts, the information sphere can be just as important as the military. Attacks aren’t limited to military targets—they also target public opinion, values, and perceptions of reality. The goal isn’t just to defeat the enemy, but to confuse them, weaken their faith in the system, and ideally, make them stop believing in their ability to defend themselves.

In this approach, truth is not the main weapon. The main goal is uncertainty. To create so many versions of a single event that no one knows what to believe anymore. Information becomes a tool of destabilization—and the more chaos there is, the easier it is to manipulate.

This form of conflict is called hybrid warfare. It’s not just about tanks, planes, and armies, but about a combination of different forces. Cyberattacks, propaganda, economic pressure, support for extremist groups, and above all, control over the information space. Hybrid war is subtle, ambiguous, and often deniable. And that is its power.

The media plays a crucial role in this strategy. Not just as a channel for distributing information, but as the battlefield itself. If media channels can be controlled—or at least their credibility can be undermined—then public opinion can be steered in any direction. If people no longer trust traditional media and at the same time lack the tools to verify alternative sources, they become vulnerable. And it is exactly this vulnerability that information warfare seeks to exploit.

The Russian strategy uses media to create a parallel reality—one in which the West is the enemy, Ukraine is a fascist state, or Russia is fighting a just and noble war. These narratives are not only spread domestically but are exported abroad, often in the languages of the target audiences. It’s not always about convincing people—sometimes it’s enough just to plant doubt. When people don’t know what to believe, they’re more likely to disengage.

In hybrid warfare, it’s not only soldiers who are the target—it’s civilians too. If society can be divided, institutions discredited, and trust eroded, there is no need to win a battle. It’s enough if the enemy begins to doubt itself.

Information warfare isn’t waged with a single message. It’s a long-term process. It requires repetition, variety, and the ability to adapt to current events. Sometimes it uses outright lies. Other times it relies on half-truths that are harder to disprove. And sometimes, all it takes is a question: What if it’s not the way you think it is?

While wars were once fought on battlefields, they’re now increasingly fought on screens, in minds, and in the daily flow of news. That’s why it’s so important to understand that being informed isn’t just about having internet access. It means knowing how information is created, how it’s used—and why, sometimes, the story matters more than the truth itself.

Thank you for listening to 4 Minutes. In the next episode, we’ll look at how Russia presents itself as the victim—and why that narrative is so powerful.