Gastkommentar – Global Challenges: Wie verteidigt man sich gegen hybride Kriegsführung?
Laut Berlin steckt Russland hinter dem Drohnenvorfall am Flughafen Leipzig. Der Völkerrechtler Christoph Safferling analysiert, welche Antworten auf diese hybride Kriegsführung möglich sind.
Hybrid warfare has been a topic of discussion for some time now. The attempted attack in Leipzig is seen as a possible example of a hybrid attack by a foreign power. The German government has attributed the role of a puppeteer to Russia. However, the exact meaning of hybrid warfare, its legal relevance, and how to defend against it are still unclear.
There is no definitive definition of the term. Linguistically, "hybrid" implies a hybrid creature. In the context of warfare, it refers to a bundle of various measures. These include military, political, economic, informational, and digital actions. The aim is to create disinformation, propaganda, economic pressure. Elections and political processes are targeted to influence them; often, the attacks aim at critical infrastructure.
Cyber attacks and information campaigns on social media form the core of these measures, but also hidden sabotage actions in the real world. Operatives, hired helpers, or armed fighters without identification can be employed there. Crimea's gradual annexation in 2014 by "green men", that is, soldiers without allegiance to any state, is cited as an example.
The immediate defense of such attacks, as well as their legal categorization, is complicated by the deliberate concealment of their origin.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
