Aug 10, 2016
RUSSIA is using the conflict in Ukraine as a warm-up for war with the West, according to an internal assessment of the threat from Moscow produced by the British Army.
GETTY Vladimir Putin and senior defence officials in the Kremlin are testing new methods of combat
Vladimir Putin and senior defence officials in the Kremlin are testing new methods of combat, including cyber attacks and psychological warfare, the document warns.
Tactics to cause economic turmoil and political uncertainty are also being deployed, including the spread of misinformation to confuse and undermine democracy abroad.
Russian military planners also have an army of "little green men" at their disposal who can be dispatched behind enemy lines to carry out political assassinations and sabotage missions to cause maximum chaos.
The Army's report also reveals how Russia is using social media to win the propaganda war without the need for lethal force.
British experts claim it shows that the Kremlin is a step ahead of the UK, having used their covert involvement in the fighting in Ukraine to test new methods of warfare.
Mass text messaging is one option open to Russian military chiefs to communicate with the population-at-large.
A woman walks past a Russian military personnel carrier outside a Ukrainian military base
In one instance, text messages containing pro-Russia propaganda were sent out 15 minutes before Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine launched an assault.
The same technique was used by Turkey's president during the recent failed coup to get thousands of his supporters out onto the streets.
The document, entitled Insights to 'Training Smarter' Against a Hybrid Adversary, which was seen by The Times, claims that Russia is already using psychological tactics to create fear and undermine their enemies.
GETTY Russian military planners also have an army of “little green men” at their disposal
GETTY British experts claim the report shows that the Kremlin is a step ahead of the UK
GETTY Putin will be encouraged by the army's latest internal report
A defence source told the paper: "It is warfare where anything is a weapon.
"These Russian guys have a wartime mentality and our politicians have a peacetime mentality.
"We have had a holiday from history for the past 70 years and we have a very steep learning curve."
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