Propaganda Mission Command: a comparative social media analysis between the Badri Force 313 and the PMC Wagner

Between 2021 and 2023 we have witnessed two major military operations, both relating to the field of hybrid conflict: the Taliban conquest of Afghanistan and the Russo-Ukrainian War. Two military units stood out, respectively, the Badri Force 313 and the PMC Wagner. Both units proved the existence of a strong propaganda component combined with operations conducted on the ground. This paper aims to highlight through two comparative case studies, the existence of a new parameter that joins the operational capacity, that is, Propaganda Mission Command. This tool has been observed within the respective digital ecosystems and has had serious tactical-strategic repercussions within the combat theatres. The online communication of the two military apparatuses influenced recruitment, funding, and even the public’s knowledge of the conflict. Finally, the use of propaganda in both these units contributed to the development of a new concept of Auftragstaktik that involves the communicative sphere. The existence of such a phenomenon should stimulate public and academic debates regarding the new nature of conflicts. Conflicts in which, as we observed, the propaganda/communication component is now indivisible from the military one and can result in remarkable operational and/or strategic advantages. The analysis of this hybrid tool is also meant to underline its difference from classic state propaganda. The two case studies show a different kind of “Propaganda Mission Command” that is framed within a military context, is related to “branded” units, and can shift the balance of conflicts towards one specific side through influence and psyops.