Meanings
- uncountableespecially regarding Soviet or Russian warfaregovernmentA set of procedures designed to confuse, mislead, and camouflage oneself from the enemy.
And the key to informational struggle was maskirovka—subterfuge—the manipulation of the enemy's picture of reality.
2018, Carl Miller, chapter 6, in The Death of the Gods […] , William Heinemann, →ISBN2 more examples
Surprise is a key ingredient in maskirovka and the clandestine forces which occupied Crimea last February certainly delivered that.
2015 January 29, Lucy Ash, “How Russia outfoxes its enemies”, in BBCAs for Syrski’s remarks, a more likely interpretation is that the general is engaged in some simple misdirection – a version of maskirovka – a Russian military concept that encompasses western notions of operational secrecy with simple deception.
2023 March 25, Dan Sabbagh, “Ukrainian top brass stirs the pot with talk of Bakhmut counterattack”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
Origin
- Russianмаскиро́вка“camouflage”
- Englishmaskirovka
Borrowed from Russian маскиро́вка (maskiróvka, “camouflage”).
More words from Russian
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
maskirovka. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maskirovka
“maskirovka.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maskirovka. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “maskirovka,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maskirovka.
Source: maskirovka on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.