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On May 8, 2024, Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama hosted a flight demonstration for the National Security Forum. Attendees had the opportunity to witness the Static Displays and F-22 Raptor performing aerial acrobatics, showcasing its capabilities. The event highlighted the advanced technology and skills .(U.S. Air Force photo by Darius Hutton )

Russian Cyber & Influence Activities

Published May 8, 2026
By RSI EUCOM

TOPIC SPONSOR: EUCOM - Russia Strategic Initiative

What cyber and influence activities have the Russians undertaken? What was their impact?

Evans, Capt. Stephanie, "Exploiting the Alliance: Identifying Methods for the U.S. to Counteract the Advantages of the Russia-Iran International Partnership," AFGC thesis, 2025, 37 pgs.
- Evans notes that Russia heavily utilizes cyber and information operations within the "gray zone" to undermine adversaries and shape public narratives. In the cyber domain, Russia has attacked Ukraine's electrical grid, causing extensive power outages that negatively impacted the economy and diminished public faith in the energy sector. In the information domain, Russia interfered with the 2016 US election via social media, sent threatening text messages to Ukrainian soldiers, overtook Ukrainian television channels during the annexation of Crimea, and deployed massive troll farm operations following the downing of flight MH-17.
Gaxiola, Kaitlin S. Stark, "Russian Military Ethics: Their Impact on Russian Leadership Decision-Making and Why it Matters to the United States," SAASS thesis, 2025, 46 pgs.
- Addresses this by detailing Russia's extensive and unethical use of disinformation, AI bot farms, and fake web domains that impersonate legitimate U.S. news sources. She explains that the impact of these activities is aimed at manipulating American public opinion, reducing support for Ukraine, and interfering in elections across the U.S., UK, and France. In the cyber domain, Stark highlights that Russia conducts offensive cyberattacks—including spear-phishing and malware deployment—to disrupt critical U.S. infrastructure like power grids and water systems, demonstrating a gray-zone warfare strategy that is highly dangerous if met with a lack of Western repercussions.
Hawkins, Maj. John I., "Comrades in the Comments Section: Russia's Cyber Influence Effects on the US and Europe," GCPME thesis, 2024, 32 pgs.
Odom, Maj. Richard K., "Russia & China's EMS and Cyber Maneuver: Different Histories, Complementary Strategies," ACSC CAOSS (Cyber Concentration) paper, 2025, 14 pgs.
Schnell, Maj. Andrew T., "The 2008 Russo-Georgian War: An Analysis of the Effect of Information Operations on Kinetic Operations," AF Fellows paper (Johns Hopkins), 2023, 27 pgs.