Russia's use of Hybrid Warfare against the European Union 2014-2020 : A qualitative content analysis

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to analyze and describe Russia’s Hybrid Warfare against the European Union between the years 2014-2020. The research question conducted is: In what ways has Russia been using hybrid warfare against the European Union between 2014-2020? This is conducted through an operationalization on the concept Hybrid Warfare, using the categories from the MPECI-framework (Military, Political, Economic, Civil, and Information) created by the Multinational Capability Development Campaign along with the use of previous research on the subject. The material is acquired from government statements and documents, European Union statements and documents, news articles, peer-reviewed articles, academic texts, and literature on the subject made by experts. The aim of the study is to discover the ways Russia has used hybrid warfare against the European Union between 2014-2020. The theoretical development has created valuable aspect of hybrid warfare through the analysis. The result of this study shows that Russia has used all five instruments of the MPECI-framework to implement hybrid warfare against the European Union between 2014-2020.