In the conflict with Ukraine, Russia has brought forth a modernized application of the reflexive control information warfare strategy developed during the USSR period with varying but notable effectiveness. Western allies of Ukraine have utilized open-source intelligence (OSINT) methods in attempts to counter Russian information warfare, but recent analyses have indicated a growing discontent with the results. A critical review of the literature indicates that (1])reflexive control operations have always been aimed to influence the emotions and psyche of its targets, be those high-level political decision-makers or masses of voters/citizens, (2) despite some gaps in research, there is a growing consensus that emotions have a substantial impact on political decision-making at both group and individual levels, and (3) the current OSINT approach combined with a reliance on fact-checking is missing on reflexive control methods using emotional cues due to gaps in both research and practice. The critical review suggests a reconceptualization of the reflexive control theoretical model to integrate the affective intelligence interpretation of how emotions influence political decision-making and integrate this into ongoing OSINT-based countermeasures.