Russia to set up ‘information forces’ in Crimea

The Russian Ministry of Defense will set up a special “information operations” military unit in Crimea, according to a source from the Ministry who spoke to information agency TASS.

According to the source, the new unit will be assigned the task of “disrupting the work of the potential enemy’s information networks.” Work will begin in the fall of 2015.

The tasks of the special unit will include “disrupting the work of the potential enemy’s information networks and the subsequent disruption of the functioning of their system of troop command and control,” as well as “enforcement of cyber security in their own information networks.”

Already in the spring of 2014, it was reported that the Ministry of Defense had made plans to establish “information operation forces.” Reports at that time stated that the new division will work with securing Russian military command and communication systems.

In April 2015 Ukraine said it was recruiting an ‘iArmy’ to ‘fight back the Russian occupiers on the information front.’