"While maintaining our nuclear potential at the proper level, we need to devote more attention to developing the entire range of means of information warfare"
About this Quote
A man who came to symbolize Russia's messy post-Soviet experiment is admitting, almost casually, that the next arms race will be fought in people’s heads. Yeltsin frames "information warfare" as an add-on to nuclear deterrence, but the syntax does the real work: nukes are kept at the "proper level" (a bureaucratic euphemism for apocalypse insurance), freeing attention for a broader toolkit that can be used daily, deniably, and cheaply.
The intent is strategic repositioning. In the 1990s, Russia’s conventional forces were battered, its economy convulsing, and its global standing uncertain. Nuclear capability remained the one unquestionable credential of great-power status. By pairing that legacy weapon with an expansive, modern category, Yeltsin signals continuity (we’re still a nuclear power) and adaptation (we can compete without matching the West tank-for-tank or dollar-for-dollar). "Entire range" is a tell: not just propaganda, but psychological operations, cyber capabilities, media influence, and political manipulation across borders.
The subtext is also domestic. Information is a battlefield at home as much as abroad; in Yeltsin’s Russia, television networks, oligarchs, and state messaging were already central to power. Calling it "warfare" legitimizes controlling narratives as national defense, not mere spin. It’s an early articulation of a doctrine that would later harden: when legitimacy is fragile and resources are limited, shaping reality can be more effective than changing it.
The intent is strategic repositioning. In the 1990s, Russia’s conventional forces were battered, its economy convulsing, and its global standing uncertain. Nuclear capability remained the one unquestionable credential of great-power status. By pairing that legacy weapon with an expansive, modern category, Yeltsin signals continuity (we’re still a nuclear power) and adaptation (we can compete without matching the West tank-for-tank or dollar-for-dollar). "Entire range" is a tell: not just propaganda, but psychological operations, cyber capabilities, media influence, and political manipulation across borders.
The subtext is also domestic. Information is a battlefield at home as much as abroad; in Yeltsin’s Russia, television networks, oligarchs, and state messaging were already central to power. Calling it "warfare" legitimizes controlling narratives as national defense, not mere spin. It’s an early articulation of a doctrine that would later harden: when legitimacy is fragile and resources are limited, shaping reality can be more effective than changing it.
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
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