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| The New York Times, Aug. 10, 2008. Swedish Defense Research Agency, Emerging Cyber Threats and Russian Views on Information Warfare and Information Operations, at 44 (Mar. 2010); John Markoff, Before the Gunfire, Cyberattacks,’’ The New York Times, Aug. 13, 2008. Swedish Defense Research Agency, Emerging Cyber Threats and Russian Views on Information Warfare and Information Operations, at 44; Georgia Russia Conducting Cyber War The Telegraph, Aug. 11, 2008. Joseph Menn, Expert Cyber-Attacks On Georgia Websites Tied to Mob, Russian Government, LA Times, Aug. 13, 2008; Georgia Russia Conducting Cyber War ’’ The Telegraph, Aug. 11, 2008. Evan Osnos et al., Trump, Putin, and the New Cold War What Lay Behind Russia’s Interference in the 2016 Election—And What Lies Ahead The New Yorker, Mar. 6, 2017. GEORGIA The 2008 invasion of Georgia is a stark example of how Russia exerts power—by taking territory inside another country. After years of rising tensions, Russian troops supported separatists in the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions in August 2008, resulting in the Russian government’s recognition of their independence. The conflict also represents the first time that cyberattacks were used alongside a military invasion—an innovation that the Russian government was to hone with the invasion of Ukrainian territory six years later. Since 2008, Russian government propaganda and Russian support for political parties and civil society groups remains a significant problem in Georgia as pro-democratic forces in the country seek to deepen integration with the west. Leading up to August 2008, tensions had been growing in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, regions that had been contested since Georgia s independence in 1991. South Ossetian separatists shelled Georgian villages in early August, which led to the deployment of the Georgian military to the area. 417 The Russian military responded by pushing the Georgian troops out of South Ossetia with a heavy assault of tanks. 418 It soon became clear that the Russian attack was not limited to just conventional military means, but was much more comprehensive in scope. Despite the seemingly sudden escalation into a hot war, the Georgian government accused the Russian government of preparing the hybrid battlefield a month before the invasion. As early as July 20, the Georgian government experienced distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and President Mikhail Saakashvili’s website was forced to shutdown for 24 hours. 419 As Russian troops entered Georgian territory on August 8, the websites of the Georgian president, the parliament, the ministries of defense and foreign affairs, the national bank, and several news outlets were hit with cyberattacks. 420 The Georgian government accused the Russian government of conducting these attacks, which the Kremlin denied. 421 Michael Sulmeyer, a senior Pentagon official in charge of cyber policy during the Obama Administration, said that Russia’s invasion was one of the first times you‘ve seen conventional ground operations married with cyber activity. It showed not just an understanding that these techniques could be useful in combined ops but that the Russians were willing to do them. These guys imple- mented.’’ 422 VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:06 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt PO 00000 Frm 00079 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 S:\FULL COMMITTEE\HEARING FILES\COMMITTEE PRINT 2018\HENRY\JAN. 9 REPORT FOREI-42327 with DISTILLER 74 Swedish Defense Research Agency, Emerging Cyber Threats and Russian Views on Information Warfare and Information Operations, at 44-45 (March 2010). North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Bucharest Summit Declaration Apr. 3, 2008. Michael Evans, Vladimir Putin Tells Summit He Wants Security and Friendship The Times, July 24, 2008. Russia Recognizes Abkhazia, South Ossetia,’’ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Aug. 26, 2008; Damien Sharkov, Russian Troops Launch Strong Drill In Occupied Georgian Region Newsweek, June 13, 2017. US. Department of State, US. Relations with Georgia Fact Sheet Nov. 28, 2016. 428 IREX, Media Sustainability Index 2017: The Development of Sustainable Independent Download 0.63 Mb. Share with your friends:
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