Shaping advantages: cognitive warfare, asymmetric competition, and the Ukraine war

Cognitive warfare has become a key element of strategic competition in the twenty-first century. However, few studies systematically analyse it from the perspective of international relations theory. This article fills this gap by exploring cognitive warfare from the perspective of offensive realism and strategic competition. It suggests that due to the rise of digital technologies, cognitive warfare constitutes a new and important statecraft enabling states to gain advantages in the information age, and that it is an asymmetric strategy particularly attractive for states disadvantaged by material power. Using the Ukraine war as an example, this study explores how Russia and Ukraine use cognitive warfare to shape the outcomes in their favour. While Russia uses disinformation, narrative manipulation, and cyber operations to undermine Ukraine's social cohesion and international support, Ukraine pursues an asymmetric strategy and uses strategic communication to construct battlefield narratives, mobilise global public opinion, and obtain international assistance. Consistent with the logic of offensive realism, both countries seek to maximise their relative power and influence to prevail in this strategic conflict. Therefore, this study reveals the growing importance of cognitive warfare as a new tool for geopolitical competition in the information age.