In 1983, KGB Defector Yuri Bezmenov gave a seminar in the United States on the KGB’s playbook for bringing down enemy nations from within. Below is the seminar and my notes.

Yuri Bezmenov: KGB Psychological Warfare and Subversion Strategy Part 1

LINK

Yuri Bezmenov: KGB Psychological Warfare and Subversion Strategy Part 2

LINK

CLIFFS-

*EVERY RUSSIAN STUDENT is taught subversion theory if they are thought to be dealing with foreigners is the future.*

Stage 1: Demoralization –

promote anti-establishment beliefs. Anti-religion, anti-education, anti-immigrant, anti-science, anti-media, anti-government, anti-police, anti-anything of value to the society. This acts as a substitution of moral values.

Natural ideological tendencies are greatly taken advantage of by Russian propaganda.

Goal is to destroy objective truth, facts don’t matter anymore.

Stage 2: Destabilization –

You let your target population destabilize themselves.

Radicalization begins.

Polarization occurs among family, friends, and neighbors...results in constant fighting...Compromise is impossible.

Radicalization also includes militarization.

Law and order erodes – Society becomes antagonistic within itself – divisions, fracturing.

The media puts itself in opposition to the society at large.

Divisive cultural issues come to the mainstream resulting in conflict, sometimes violently.

Stage 3: Crisis –

The government systems cannot function anymore.

Society collapses- can't function properly

Power struggle occurs.

Society is looking for a savior – some strong leader, population is sick and tired of the same old same old.

This leads to two possible outcomes:
1. Civil War
2. Invasion

Stage 4: Normalization –

The self appointed rulers don't need any revolution or radicalization anymore.

Dissidents are eliminated/suppressed.

Stability is required to then exploit the nation. No more protests/strikes.

United States had to invade Grenada to reverse the USSR normalization of the country.

Prevention

*Laws should be put in place to prevent companies from manipulating consumers from consuming/buying more [Facebook/Amazon come to mind].

*Self restraint and restoration of religion and sound moral principles is vital.

*Put a stop the outside propaganda actively, not violently. Doing this would prevent demoralization. Preventing the importation of foreign ideology would put a stop to the whole chain of events.

*Technology will not protect societies from the threat like religion, belief in God, a higher power, moral principles.

Background information-

Russian Intelligence money, time, and man power:
10-15% Espionage
85% is Active Measures (subversion, psychological warfare)

Subversion is not a crime because of manipulation of terms/concepts.

Subversion is a two way street, you can't subvert a nation that doesn't want/allow to be subverted.

Can't subvert populations where the media is controlled by the government and the borders are closed (Japan, USSR)

Subversion can only be successful when the agent of subversion has a receptive target.

The United States is receptive of subversion.

The theory of subversion originated from Sun-Tzu over 2,500 years ago. (500 B.C.)

To implement state policy in a warlike manner, it is inefficient/foolish to do it on a battlefield.

The highest art of warfare is not to fight at all, but to subvert.

Subvert anything of value in the country of your enemy until such time that the perception of reality is so screwed up they don't percieve you as an enemy.

They enemy looks to you as an alternative where you can take them without firing a single shot.