Rysslands användande av informationskrigföring mot Sverige och dess påverkan på landet.

Sammanfattning

Information warfare is today a central part of modern conflicts and has become a strategic tool which state actors use. By using the phenomenon, states seek to influence an opponent’s decisionmaking, perceptions, and societal stability without the use of conventional military force. Despite extensive research on the topic. There is a lack of systematic analyses of how information warfare is applied into practice against states not engaged in formal conflict, such as Sweden. The purpose of this study is to examine and describe how Russia utilizes information warfare against Sweden. Based on Martin Libicki’s theoretical framework on information warfare where he identifies and defines different forms of the phenomenon, the study describes Russian use of information warfare targeting Sweden. The study applies a descriptive approach and a qualitative text analysis of publicly available sources, including news articles and official reports from Swedish authorities. The study shows that Russian information warfare against Sweden primarily emerges through psychological, hacker, intelligence-based, and electronic warfare. The aim of the operations is to influence public opinion, disrupt functions critical to society, gather information, and create uncertainty in both civilian and military domains. The study contributes to a clearer understanding of how Russian information warfare is applied in a Swedish context, as well as the effects such operations have on the country.