Disinformation as a Tool of Hybrid Warfare

Current conflicts are no longer carried out solely through the use of force, and the physical confrontation environment, characterized by the use of kinetic means, becomes a secondary confrontation environment, because the real confrontation takes place in other environments and has as its objective not the physical destruction of the adversary but the impact on the way of thinking and understanding reality. Under these conditions, the civilian population becomes a target of actions carried out in the physical and virtual environment, but also a powerful and efficient tool for achieving objectives and weakening the adversary. Hybrid warfare is multidimensional and aims to achieve effects in all areas and environments, using the most diverse means. Disinformation becomes, in the conditions of a fluid, dynamic, ambiguous confrontation environment, a basic tool that allows the achievement of general objectives and the shaping of the confrontation environment, without using armed force, aiming to influence the way of thinking of decision-makers and the population, decrease trust in the authorities and in their ability to manage complex situations, create panic, create a certain image of various state or non-state actors and direct support in certain directions.