Proxy Operations in the Context of the Russian-Ukrainian War

The relevance of the study is due to the growing role of proxy operations in modern conflicts, in particular in the context of the ongoing russian-Ukrainian war, which is taking on the characteristics of a hybrid and asymmetric war. The proxy actions of the russian federation against Ukraine through non-state or puppet actors create significant challenges for national security and international stability. The purpose of the article is to understand systematically the nature of proxy operations, formulate the principles of their preparation and implementation, and determine indicators for assessing their effectiveness. The study uses methods of analysis and synthesis, a comparative-historical approach, a systems analysis, and the Saati hierarchy method to rank indicators for assessing the effectiveness of proxy operations. Among the main results: a refined definition of the concepts of proxy operation” and “proxy war”, the basic principles of conducting proxy operations are formulated, a system of key indicators for assessing the effectiveness of proxy operations is proposed, and their weight coefficients are calculated in the general indicator for assessing the effectiveness of proxy operations. The materials of the article will be useful for the specialists in the field of national security, strategic communications, military affairs, analysts, specialists in international relations and scholars in the field of political and military sciences.