PANARIN: SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST PRESIDENT MILORAD DODIK IS AN EXAMPLE OF HYBRID WARFARE

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 28 /SRNA/ - Russian academic Igor Panarin stated that an example of hybrid warfare in Republika Srpska can be seen in the unlawful proceedings and smear campaign being waged against Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik.

"Everything being done against Dodik is based on illegal actions and the force of the international community," Panarin assessed. Ahead of the panel discussion "Hybrid War Against the Serbian People" and the promotion of his book "Yalta II and the Collapse of the Parasite Empire," Panarin told reporters in Banja Luka that he sees Dodik as a defender of the Serbian idea and the Serbian people. He explained that the essence of hybrid warfare is disinformation, namely, its use in achieving certain goals, primarily geopolitical ones. Panarin stated that the term "hybrid war" first emerged in the United States in 2005 but gained significant prominence in 2016 when he utilized it and further explored the issue, which has become increasingly relevant since then. “The Anglo-Saxons make particular use of this method and principle, which is especially evident in the cases of Serbia, Republika Srpska, and Russia. The book emerged from the idea that we need to figure out how to prevent this, and essentially, it offers some explanations in that regard. In this effort, we managed to identify certain centers involved in such activities,” Panarin stated. He described England as the cradle of this approach, followed by American financial and media institutions. Academic Elizabeta Ristanović, editor of the Serbian edition of the book, stated that spiritual and traditional values are targets of hybrid warfare, under the shadow of which the Serbian people, and the Slavic world in general, have existed for decades, and according to Panarin, even for centuries. According to her, the task of all those dealing with this issue is to approach the problem scientifically and methodologically, to draw lessons from history, and to reach an understanding of how to defend against such forms of warfare.