The U.S. should stoke anti-war resistance within Russia

Excerpt

Vladimir Putin issued a decree last week authorizing the Russian military to add another 180,000 active-duty troops, reflecting Russia’s ongoing efforts to recruit and coerce men to fight in Ukraine, where Moscow continues to send thousands of Russians to their deaths every month.

This presents an opportunity for the West. The U.S. should conduct information operations aimed at encouraging Russian resistance to the war.

Russian casualties in the invasion of Ukraine are staggering. According to U.S. officials, at least 350,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since February 2022, and some estimates put it closer to 650,000.

Ivana Stradner is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery is a senior director at its Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.