Bob Seeley The New Total War: From Child Abduction to Cyber Attacks and Drones to Disinformation

About

Russia's war in Ukraine is unlike any other. From the revolutionary use of drones to staged coups, child abductions and psychological warfare, Moscow has unleashed a new form of total war one that fuses traditional military force with cyber-attacks, propaganda, and all the non-military tools of the modern state.

In this urgent and deeply compelling talk, Bob Seely reveals how Russia's assault on Ukraine is part of a much longer campaign one that began years before the 2022 invasion to control its neighbours' politics, fracture Western alliances, and challenge democracy itself. Drawing on over a decade of research, frontline encounters and powerful human stories, Seely exposes how the Kremlins hybrid tactics are reshaping conflict in the 21st century.

He will ask: has the West truly understood the scale of this threat? How prepared are we to defend ourselves when the battlefield includes our minds, media, and institutions?

Insightful, gripping and at times moving, Seelys talk offers a masterclass in understanding modern warfare and authoritarian power and why defending Ukraine means defending ourselves.

Bob Seely is the former Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight and one of Parliaments leading voices on foreign affairs, defence and national security. A former soldier with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and a former war correspondent, he has written extensively on Russian military doctrine and hybrid warfare.

A Q&A session will follow.