52) Ukraine will probably continue in its efforts to intensify its military
cooperation with NATO which is one of the deciding factors in the worsening
of its relations with the Russian Federation. A large-scale conventional
armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation is unlikely,
but it is not possible to dismiss this scenario completely. The security
situation can change rapidly. In the case of a larger conflict it is important to
primarily keep in mind the extant problem of the internally displaced persons
in Ukraine, the number of which could grow rapidly. In the event that the
security situation of Ukraine worsens further, the migration potential of
Ukraine may multiply with deleterious effects on the security architectures
of neighbouring countries.
53) Ukraine will continue to be dependent on the political and financial
support of the EU and the International Monetary Fund. Improvement
of Ukraine’s economic situation is not likely in the near to mid-term. The
political situation in the country remains unstable. The strengthening of
these factors may lead to social unrest among the populace.
54) The revised Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation explicitly
declares its defensive character, but the actual politics and the security
realities may change. This doctrine emphasises that nuclear weapons will be
used only in reaction to an attack on the Russian Federation by nuclear or
conventional means and its very existence is threatened. A security problem
in this context arises mainly from their reserving the right of a pre-emptive
nuclear attack at the operational and tactical levels.
Strategic-level
propaganda along
with “hybrid means
of conducting combat
operations” represent
a major security threat
55) Strategic-level propaganda along with specific operational methods
which are today called “hybrid means of conducting combat operations”
represent a major security threat from the point of view of conducting
conflicts in a changing security environment. Propaganda at the strategic
level is a part of exerting informational and psychological influence
on chosen target groups of the society within the framework of the so
called “information warfare”. Propaganda at the strategic level is one of
the pillars of a concept called “permanent war”. The basic tenets of this
concept may be utilised in future conflicts of different types by all manner
of security actors (also non-state), not only by the security forces of states.
The aim is to break, with a minimal use of conventional forces, the moral and
psychological strength of the adversary’s armed forces and particularly of a
part of his civilian population (the polarisation of target groups) in such a
way as to strike at the values and assets of the opponent targeted by “hybrid
warfare”.
56) Sources of potential threats of both a military and non-military
character will continue to be caused by the uneven economic, social and
demographic development of individual nations, states, regions and
continents. In the end, differences also create favourable conditions for the
activities of terrorist, radical, extremist and militant groups.
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WHITE PAPER ON DEFENCE