A new history of how Putin and his conflicts have inexorably reshaped Russia, including his devastating invasion of Ukraine.
Putin's Wars is a timely overview of the conflicts in which Russia has been involved since Vladimir Putin became prime minister and then president of Russia, from the First Chechen War to the two military incursions into Georgia, the annexation of Crimea and the eventual invasion of Ukraine itself. But it also looks more broadly at Putin's recreation of Russian military power and its expansion to include a range of new capabilities, from mercenaries to operatives in a relentless information war against Western powers. This is an engrossing strategic overview of a rejuvenated Russian military and the successes and failures on the battlefield. Thanks to Dr Galeotti's wide-ranging contacts throughout Russia, it is also peppered with anecdotes of military life, personal snapshots of conflicts, and an extraordinary collection of first-hand accounts from serving and retired Russian officers.
Russia continues to dominate the news cycle throughout the Western world. There is no better time to understand how and why Putin has involved his armed forces in a variety of conflicts for over two decades. There is no author better placed to demystify the capabilities of the Russian military and give a glimpse into what the future may hold.
Putin's Wars is an engaging and important history of a reawakened Russian bear and how it currently operates both at home and abroad to ensure Russia is front and centre on the world stage.
Author(s): Mark Galeotti
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 400
City: Oxford
Half Title
Dedication
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Author’s Note
List of Illustrations
List of Maps and Diagrams
maps
diagrams
Abbreviations
Cast of Characters
Chronology
Chapter 1: Introduction
army games
russia and war
putin
Part One: Before Putin
Chapter 2: Born in Chaos
the soviet disunion
the august coup
boris yeltsin: the man without the plan
Chapter 3: A Military in Crisis
an army gone bad
nukes for sale?
bringing the boys back home
empty dreams
‘pasha mercedes’
Chapter 4: The First Chechen War
resistance and resentment
high hopes, quick defeats
the plan
taking grozny …
… and losing grozny again
Chapter 5: The Wars of Russian Assertion
moldova’s post-soviet hangover
central asia: the tajikistan contingent
balkan dash
Part Two: Enter Putin
Chapter 6: Putin’s Priorities
who is vladimir putin?
putin in charge
putin’s ministers
Chapter 7: The Second Chechen War
round two
retaking grozny
operation wolf hunt
the creation of ‘kadyrovstan’
lessons learned
Chapter 8: Ivanov, the Initiator
my name’s ivanov, sergei ivanov
the spy and the generals
ivanov’s reforms
size does matter
Chapter 9: Serdyukov, the Enforcer
enter the taxman
serdyukov’s purge
and enter makarov
the georgian excuse
Chapter 10: Georgia, 2008 (1): Tbilisi’s Move …
harbingers
provoking a war
the georgian advance
the battle for tskhinvali
the russian advance
Chapter 11: Georgia, 2008 (2): … Moscow’s Counter
the tide turns
the abkhaz front
the audit
did anything work well?
Chapter 12: ‘New Look’ Army
command and control: unified battle management
the ground forces: divisions to brigades
the air forces: rationalized
the navy: integrated at last
the airborne: survival
Part Three: The New Cold War
Chapter 13: Shoigu, the Rebuilder
who is sergei shoigu?
‘a servant to the tsar, a father to the soldiers’
general gerasimov
rearmament and recruitment
ready for action
Chapter 14: Crimea, 2014
russia and ukraine
‘returning crimea to russia’
taking crimea
enter the ‘little green men’
‘crimea is ours’
an audit of the operation
Chapter 15: Donbas, 2014–
strelkov’s spark
a war of irregulars
the ‘northern wind’
the fixing of the conflict
stalemate
Chapter 16: Lessons of the Donbas War
command and control in a proxy war is hard
information warfare is a powerful force multiplier
implausible deniability has its place
drones are the next big thing
there was no quick end to the war
Chapter 17: Syria, 2015– (1): The Unexpected Intervention
a long, bloody war
a friend in need
heading to hmeymim
hmeymin’s hammer
turning the tide
victory of sorts
Chapter 18: Syria, 2015– (2): Lessons of the Syrian Campaign
airpower is not (usually) enough
mercenaries have their place, but need to know it
brutality can work, but hearts and minds matter, too
frenemies can find themselves in battle
a nice little war is good for business
Part Four: Rearming Russia
Chapter 19: Rumble for Ruble
when comparisons fail
‘let us starve, but let us export’
the metal-eaters
buyer beware
modernizing the military
Chapter 20: Armiya Rossii
the battalion tactical group
the return of the division
heavy metal
specialized forces for specialized operations
logistics
capabilities
Chapter 21: The Sky is Russia’s!
always in transition
the aerospace forces
defence of the motherland
fist of the motherland
heavy lift
drones
Chapter 22: Contesting the Sea
never a naval power
rusted, rebuilt
organization
but what’s it for?
Chapter 23: Power Projection: Blue and Black Berets
‘nobody but us!’
by parachute, plane or track
the black berets
‘black devils’
‘where we are, there is victory!’
underwater sentinels
Chapter 24: The Spetsnaz
special people, for special tasks
tip of the spear
putin’s spetsnaz
the special operations command
Chapter 25: The Nuclear Backstop
post-soviet armageddon
rail, road and tube
under the waves
strategic aviation
space forces
modernization and magic
why nukes matter so much
Part Five: The Future
Chapter 26: Political Warfare
the rise of the spooks
hybrid, ambiguous, non-linear, political
outsourced warfighters
information warfare
Chapter 27: New Generation Warfare
small wars
limited deployments
big wars
escalation, de-escalation and lesser apocalypses
Chapter 28: The Challenges of the Future
the western flank
the turbulent north caucasus …
… and the turbulent south caucasus, too
central asia: instability and jihad
china, the great frenemy
Chapter 29: Ukraine 2022: Putin’s Last War?
dreaming of a ‘special military operation’
not the generals’ war
a police action, not a war
from kyiv to the donbas
how hubris destroyed a military
deadlock
Chapter 30: Conclusions: The Eurasian Sparta?
a nation under arms?
the military myth?
the security state?
a weak hand played well?
after putin?
Notes
Selected English-language Bibliography
Index
Plates
