Russia’s Lawfare on the EU: Twisted Inclusion and Exclusion Strategies in the European Security Agenda
Russia鈥檚 legal warfare, or聽lawfare, has become an important non-kinetic element of its broader hybrid warfare strategy aimed at destabilizing the European Union and challenging the Euro-Atlantic security framework.聽Lawfare involves the strategic manipulation of legal norms, doctrines, and rhetoric to legitimize actions that undermine the international order while presenting them as legally justified. This presentation examines how聽Russia uses selective interpretations of international law within its foreign policy narratives to rationalize geopolitical ambitions and erode democratic norms. It traces the evolution of聽Russian doctrinal thinking that frames Moscow鈥檚 actions as defensive while weakening the legal foundations of the European security system. Special attention is given to聽Russia鈥檚 dual strategy toward Europe: simultaneously claiming civilizational belonging to Europe while promoting narratives of distinctiveness and strategic separation. This 鈥渢wisted inclusion鈥揺xclusion鈥� approach allows聽Russia to manipulate key principles of international law while undermining the cohesion of the European security architecture.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Sergii Glebov (Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations; M.A. in History; M.A. in Law) is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations at I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University (Ukraine), a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of California, Irvine (USA), and a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the Center for Peace Studies at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. His research and teaching focus on Ukraine鈥檚 foreign and security policy, international relations in the Black Sea region, European and Euro-Atlantic security, Russia鈥檚 foreign policy, NATO鈥揢kraine relations, EU鈥揢kraine relations, and international law. He has authored approximately 100 publications in international journals and edited volumes. Dr. Glebov has held visiting positions at the Center for European Studies at the University of Exeter (UK, 2000鈥�2001), Columbia University鈥檚 Harriman Institute (USA, 2003), and was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego (2018鈥�2019).
His most recent publications include:
Glebov, S. (2026). Humiliation: A powerful fuel for war. In J. Paquin & A. Lanoszka (Eds.), International politics and the Russo-Ukrainian war: Concepts in conflict (pp. 30-50). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032670447-4
Glebov, S. (2025). Surviving hybrid warfare: A case study of Ukraine. In G. Hoogensen Gj酶rv, S. Glebov, & C. Holshek (Eds.), The eighth baseline requirement: Resilient civilians in hybrid threats and warfare (pp. 62鈥�78). IOS Press. https://doi.org/10.3233/NHSDP250007