How Russia Outfoxes Its Enemies (Maskirovka Alert)

BBC News ^ | 1/28/2014 | Lucy Ash

[goldstategop]

Russia's annexation of Crimea last year caught almost everyone off guard. The Russian military disguised its actions, and denied them - but those "little green men" who popped up in the Black Sea peninsula were a textbook case of the Russian practice of military deception - or maskirovka.

At a cadet school in the southern suburbs of Moscow, Maj Gen Alexander Vladimirov heaves two enormous red volumes off his bookcase and slams them down on the table. "My Theory and Science of Warfare," he says, beaming. "It's three times longer than Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace!"

Vladimirov, vice-president of Russia's Collegium of Military Experts, is an authority on maskirovka - the hallmark of Russian warfare and a word which translates as "something masked" or "a little masquerade".

"As soon as man was born, he began to fight," he says. "When he began hunting, he had to paint himself different colours to avoid being eaten by a tiger. From that point on maskirovka was a part of his life. All human history can be portrayed as the history of deception."

Vladimirov quotes liberally from the Roman general Frontinus and the ancient Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu who described war as an eternal path of cunning.

But it's Russia, he tells me, with unmistakable pride, that has over the centuries really honed these techniques to perfection.

[goldstategop]

Maskirovka - the art of catching the enemy by surprise with his pants down. The Russians are masters of this technique.

Nowhere was it more employed than in World War II in Operation Bagration when the Soviets went over impassable terrain to catch Hitler's reeling armies off guard.

The key to maskirovka was surprise skillfully employed.

As Maj. Gen. Alexander Vladimirov recalled:

"And that came just after Operation Bagration in Belorussia had dealt Hitler's troops a devastating blow.

"It was clear the military skill of Soviet leaders outclassed the Germans," Vladimirov says. "Our generals decided not to go the easy way along the road but through the swamps! That way they attacked the rear of the German forces. That's mastery for you! All throughout Bagration, there were colossal examples of maskirovka involving thousands of tanks and troops. After that the war was practically over."

President Putin learned well from Soviet history on how to make a seemingly difficult victory look easy. People always get taken by surprise at Russian moves. They shouldn't be.

[Little Pig]

I wonder if Vladimirov’s books are available outside Russia?

[Grzegorz 246]

“President Putin learned well from Soviet history on how to make a seemingly difficult victory look easy.”

A couple more “victories” of “President Putin” and there will be quite a lot of no man’s land to seize :))

[McGruff]

While Putin was learning how invade countries,
this is what our president was learning

[Grzegorz 246]

“While Putin was learning how invade countries...”

Apparently that turns you on... but in fact Mr Botox was pushing the paper around in the KGB.

[Grzegorz 246]

“While Putin was learning how invade countries”

Any proof when/where he was learning “how invade countries” ? Or are you simply going to keep masturbating to his shirtless “strongman” images ?

I’m afraid quite a few billion people could simply lift up that damn pederast and break him over their knee.