Russian Information Warfare: Assault on Democracies in the Cyber Wild West

Bilyana Lilly — a RAND Corporation researcher with expertise in Russian cyber and information operations — provides in this Naval Institute Press volume the most comprehensive academic treatment of Russian information warfare strategy and its application against democratic systems. Drawing on primary Russian military and intelligence doctrine, open-source intelligence, and case studies from operations targeting Ukraine, the United States, and European democracies, she maps the full spectrum of Russian information operations from cyber intrusions through social media manipulation to the deployment of state media.

The book is distinguished from journalistic accounts by its doctrinal depth: Lilly analyses Russian information warfare on its own terms, engaging with the strategic concepts and operational frameworks through which Russian planners think about information operations rather than filtering them through Western analytical categories. For practitioners doing threat assessment or advising government clients on Russian information operations, this grounding in doctrine is essential. The book is also notable for its policy recommendations, which are unusually specific and actionable for an academic work. Essential reading for anyone working on the Russian threat vector.