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Hybrid Warfare and International Law: a Legal Analysis of the Conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine
Mykytchenko, Margherita
Mykytchenko, Margherita
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Abstract
This study examines Russia’s employment of hybrid warfare against Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2022 through a legal lens, with the objective of understanding how international law has been manipulated, or made ineffective by hybrid tactics. Hybrid warfare, understood as the strategic combination of conventional military force with cyber operations, legal manipulation, and disinformation, presents significant challenges to the enforcement of international law. This research utilizes a comparative legal analysis, relying on sources including the UN Charter, Geneva Conventions, and documents from NATO. Findings reveal that in both conflicts, Russia used digital aggression and ambiguous military tactics to avoid legal accountability while pursuing territorial and strategic gains. The study highlights the weaknesses in international legal enforcement and institutional response, and recommends reforms to codify hybrid warfare in international law, develop standards for cyber operations, and increase legal protections against non-military aggression. The case studies of Georgia and Ukraine demonstrate the urgent need for international law to evolve in order to effectively respond to hybrid threats and protect state sovereignty.
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Thesis (B.A. in International Affairs)--John Cabot University, Spring 2025.
Date
2025
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Keywords
South Ossetia War, 2008, Russo-Ukrainian War, 2014-
Citation
Mykytchenko, Margherita. "Hybrid Warfare and International Law: a Legal Analysis of the Conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2025.