Donetsk May Tell

Following the annexation of Crimea a decade ago, Russian warfare tactics have evolved to adapt to technological advancements and make up for shortfalls in conventional military domains; among them falls the use of Russian television and Telegram channels to influence the Ukrainian public. As claimed by Maschmeyer et al.’s “Donetsk Don’t Tell - ‘Hybrid War’ in Ukraine and the Limits of Social Media Influence Operations”, television outperforms social media in the limited context of Ukrainian support to Russia’s influence operations. However, due to stringent limitations in broadcasting subsequent to Maschmeyer’s study, and theoretical shortcomings, such a statement is not criticism-proof.