Gerasimov doctrine

The Gerasimov Doctrine, named after the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces General Valery Gerasimov, is a pseudo-military doctrine created by the Western media and some Russian analysts.^[1][2][3] It is based on Gerasimov’s views about U.S. contemporary warfare,^[4] putting interstate conflict and warfare on a par with political, economic, informational,^[5] humanitarian, and other non-military activities.^[6][7][8][9] It became known after Mark Galeotti coined the term in his blog "In Moscow Shadows"^[10] and the invasion and annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. Some Western analysts were convinced that the Russian actions reflected the "Gerasimov Doctrine"^[1] helping to spread the term and making it a buzzword.

The idea of the existence of a "Gerasimov Doctrine" is contested by many researchers and specialists in Russian military thinking and doctrine. According to them, the key elements of the Gerasimov Doctrine underlie the concept of New Generation Warfare.^[4][11] Many also argue that Gerasimov never wanted to present a doctrine and rather was asking the scientists of the Russian Academy of Military Science to do research to help him to understand the new ways of Western warfare.^[12]