This analytical piece examines whether Russia and ISIS share a 'playbook' in terms of warfare strategies, particularly focusing on hybrid warfare and ideological holy war. It explains that Russia employs hybrid warfare tactics, blending conventional and unconventional military actions with cyber operations and information warfare aimed at destabilizing geopolitical adversaries. Conversely, ISIS pursues a religiously motivated holy war, using violent extremism combined with media and propaganda to recruit and influence. The article highlights how both use propaganda and disinformation as core tools, but while Russia’s approach aims to weaken democratic institutions and control influence zones, ISIS seeks to spread extremist ideology and terror. Through comparative analysis, the article reveals parallels in narrative manipulation and psychological operations despite differences in strategic objectives.

This analytical piece examines whether Russia and ISIS share a 'playbook' in terms of warfare strategies, particularly focusing on hybrid warfare and ideological holy war. It explains that Russia employs hybrid warfare tactics, blending conventional and unconventional military actions with cyber operations and information warfare aimed at destabilizing geopolitical adversaries. Conversely, ISIS pursues a religiously motivated holy war, using violent extremism combined with media and propaganda to recruit and influence. The article highlights how both use propaganda and disinformation as core tools, but while Russia’s approach aims to weaken democratic institutions and control influence zones, ISIS seeks to spread extremist ideology and terror. Through comparative analysis, the article reveals parallels in narrative manipulation and psychological operations despite differences in strategic objectives.