The Federal Security Service (FSB) is the institution that inherited the legacy of the Soviet-era KGB (The Committee for State Security). The FSB is as a crucial player in the enforcement and execution of the Kremlin’s domestic and international agendas as was the KGB during the Soviet era. In The Road to Unfreedom, Snyder examines how the FSB has been instrumental in maintaining control through surveillance, repression of dissent, and active measures, including cyber operations and misinformation campaigns that reinforce the state’s managed democracy.

The term “hybrid war” designation the combination of conventional military force with cyber warfare, disinformation, and economic manipulation. This approach is designed to destabilize and undermine the political and social structures of target nations without resorting solely to overt military aggression. Snyder illustrates how this strategy was notably executed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where it served to confuse the international community, manipulate public opinion, and achieve strategic goals without full-scale military confrontation.

Kleptocracy, from the Greek klepto (to steal) and kratos (rule), is a form of government where the ruling class exploits political power to accumulate personal wealth at the expense of the wider population. This system is characterized by widespread corruption, the absence of the rule of law, and the merging of state and private interests.