Just at face value, the cyber attacks reveal at least two things which themselves contradict the official words from Moscow that this was “peacekeeping” to rescue the South Ossetians.

1. The scale of the attacks, blanketing as many possible outlets, suggests coordination and preparation, it was premeditated. This should probably only surprise the naive and uninformed.

2. The scope of the attacks takes the notion of combined-arms warfare to a new level. In a strategically defensive/tactically offensive operation (e.g. Desert Storm) you don’t need to win the PR battle, you only need to remove your opponent’s army from where it shouldn’t be. Looking at the cyber attacks in conjunction with the thrust to the ports/oil line, the Gori crossroads, and infrastructure bombing, a strategic objective emerges aimed at everything vital to what constitutes Georgia as an international country. Russia didn’t need to take Tbilisi to win this one.