Lawfare as a Form of Hybrid War: the case of Bulgaria; an Empirical View

Abstract

This article is about the application of lawfare as a tool of a hybrid war. After analyzing the existing positions in the academic debate, a working definition of the latter is given; then the main theoretical postulates are operationalized as empirical indicators and finally, four cases of Russia's lawfare against Bulgaria are stated. It is argued that lawfare can be used to achieve the capture of the state, what eventually is a goal of every war, including the hybrid one and that such a capture is more probable in states which are former Russian satellites, where Russia indirectly can impact national legislative and decision making process.