Professor claims Russia is fighting hybrid war with Ukraine

This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. The news comes after a tense standoff continues on the Russian border with the former Soviet bloc country. Diplomatic efforts have failed to appease the situation, with Moscow requesting that the US and other NATO nations give a concrete guarantee that Ukraine will never be a part of the alliance, and the defence pact stop arming Eastern European members.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co. Scott Lucas, a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and Chief Editor of EA World News, said Russia is fighting a hybrid war. Professor Lucas suggested that the move was being used to distract attention away from Russia's other influences as a result of the build-up of troops heavily present on the Ukrainian border. He claimed that Russia has been undertaking a hybrid war since 2014, which involves in some cases direct military operations in Crimea, as well as links to political activity. But for the rest of Ukraine, there has been an attempt to purchase or buy off certain oligarchs or politicians to try to get them on Moscow s side. Professor Lucas said it was the support of the separatists with weapons with logistics with advisors and special forces. It has been the willingness to supply those weapons even when in 2014 the Malaysian passenger jet was shot down with the loss of over 300 lives. It is the willingness to carry out cyber attacks, repeated cyber attacks not only on Ukraine, but also in the Baltic states where Putin has been trying to destabilise the area from 2007 onwards. Professor Lucas also claimed that the hybrid strategy reaches further than Russia's immediate neighbours. He said it is the willingness to carry out economic sabotage, to threaten the cut off of energy supplies, and that this hybrid war beyond Ukraine and the Baltic states is against Europe and the United States. The support of Donald Trump winning in 2016 was part of the intervention in elections. The attempt to defeat or undermine Macron in France, to undermine Merkel in Germany is part of this hybrid warfare. It is linked to widespread disinformation and widespread propaganda operations. Professor Lucas claimed that Russia is trying to influence a broader circle by reaching out to wider audiences. On Sunday it was revealed that Russia is trying to put a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine. The Foreign Office reported Moscow may topple the government and install Yevhen Murayev, a former MP who controls a pro-Russian television station. Murayev denied all the allegations that he was in fact banned from entering Russia. Professor Lucas claims that the threat of an invasion is highly unlikely, even though President Putin has dismissed the threat of an invasion. He said that an invasion is possible for Russia, but the operation would come with the risk of an insurgency if Russians invade Ukraine. The Professor claimed that it would result in a long-term war that Russia will not want to pursue. When Britain's stock price falls as the city of London stocks soar REPORT Taxpayers bill 1 m to bring back rubbish from Poland REVEAL Putin encircled as Japan joins US INSIGHT For President Putin, timing is also important when it comes to acting on a war front with Ukraine. Professor Lucas said: This phase of putting troops on the border means the threat of a cross-border military invasion is just the latest phase in the tactics of Mr Putin. It is a series of ongoing tactics that have been going on for years and have been successful in keeping Ukraine unettled. He said that Ukraine has its own problems. Problems with corruption, problems with the political elite that are split because some in Ukraine support Moscow and are quite happy to be in Moscow's pocket, said Professor Lucas.

He ended by saying If Putin s gamble fails, and the gamble here is two-pronged, what should he do? It's not a loss for Putin, because the gamble was never invasion or nothing, because of the fact that he was not deterred from a cross-border military invasion. This gamble was to put troops on the border, which gives Putin space, as everyone focuses on the troops, to carry out hybrid warfare that he has been doing for the past 8 years. The US and Europe will begin to take measures against hybrid warfare, as suggested by Anthony Blinken. They may step up economic sanctions because of Russia's ongoing activities, and not simply from any new cross-border invasion. Professor Lucas said that if the US and Europe don't agree on how to respond to hybrid warfare, that would be the crunch point if that took place, short of Putin actually starting a war in Eastern Ukraine.