Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Considering that most of the recent specialized military literature is strongly focussed on the concept of hybrid warfare, in all its forms, this paper aims to establish the current relevance of a specific 20th century concept, which facilitated the evolution of hybrid warfare - unconventional warfare. In order to answer this question, the main approaches to unconventional warfare in recent history were evaluated, and subsequently, an analysis was conducted on the hypothesis that in the period 2022-2024, the Russian Federation carried out activities specific to unconventional warfare on the territory of Moldova. The most significant information that formed the basis of the case study refers to the public information of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) of Moldova, regarding the interference of the Russian Federation in the electoral process of Moldova. The results indicate the presence on the territory of Moldova of five of the six activities specific to unconventional warfare, as understood by the doctrine of the United States of America (USA), but taking into account the ambiguity specific to unconventional warfare and the relativity of the current information environment, formulating a verdict on this subject is not certain. However, this article manages to provide an objective perspective on the Russian Federation's interference in the internal affairs of Moldova, highlighting the relevance of unconventional warfare in the current operational environment.
Authors: Romanian Special Operation Forces, Romania, Vlad-Andrei SKOWRONSKI
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4411495178