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The Financial Times – Best books of 2022: Politics
'The prolific military chronicler and analyst Mark Galeotti has produced exactly the right book at the right time.' The Times
A new history of how Putin and his conflicts have inexorably reshaped Russia, including his devastating invasion of Ukraine.
Written by one of the world's leading experts on modern Russia, Putin's Wars is a timely overview of the conflicts into which Russia has plunged since Vladimir Putin became prime minister and then president. From the First and Second Chechen Wars to the military incursion into Georgia, the annexation of Crimea, and the eventual full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mark Galeotti has created a vivid insight into the inner workings of the Kremlin.
Updated for this paperback edition to include both the aborted coup of June 2023 and a clear overview of how and why the Russian military has struggled in Ukraine, this is a thought-provoking history of how Putin and his wars have inexorably shaped Russia in the 21st century.
Author's Note
List of Illustrations
List of Maps and Diagrams
Abbreviations
Cast of Characters
Chronology
1. Introduction
PART ONE: BEFORE PUTIN
2. Born in Chaos
3. A Military in Crisis
4. The First Chechen War
5. The Wars of Russian Assertion
PART TWO: ENTER PUTIN
6. Putin's Priorities
7. The Second Chechen War
8. Ivanov, the Initiator
9. Serdyukov, the Enforcer
10. Georgia, 2008 (1): Tbilisi's Move …
11. Georgia, 2008 (2): … Moscow's Counter
12. 'New Look' Army
PART THREE: THE NEW COLD WAR
13. Shoigu, the Rebuilder
14. Crimea, 2014
15. Donbas, 2014–
16. Lessons of the Donbas War
17. Syria, 2015– (1): The Unexpected Intervention
18. Syria, 2015– (2): Lessons of the Syrian Campaign
PART FOUR: REARMING RUSSIA
19. Rumble for Ruble
20. Armiya Rossii
21. The Sky is Russia's!
22. Contesting the Sea
23. Power Projection: Blue and Black Berets
24. The Spetsnaz
25. The Nuclear Backstop
PART FIVE: THE FUTURE
26. Political Warfare
27. New Generation Warfare
28. The Challenges of the Future
29. Ukraine 2022: Putin's Last War?
30. Conclusions: The Eurasian Sparta?
31. Ukraine: A Dispatch on a War in Progress
Notes
Selected English-language Bibliography
Index
Description
The Financial Times – Best books of 2022: Politics
'The prolific military chronicler and analyst Mark Galeotti has produced exactly the right book at the right time.' The Times
A new history of how Putin and his conflicts have inexorably reshaped Russia, including his devastating invasion of Ukraine.
Written by one of the world's leading experts on modern Russia, Putin's Wars is a timely overview of the conflicts into which Russia has plunged since Vladimir Putin became prime minister and then president. From the First and Second Chechen Wars to the military incursion into Georgia, the annexation of Crimea, and the eventual full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mark Galeotti has created a vivid insight into the inner workings of the Kremlin.
Updated for this paperback edition to include both the aborted coup of June 2023 and a clear overview of how and why the Russian military has struggled in Ukraine, this is a thought-provoking history of how Putin and his wars have inexorably shaped Russia in the 21st century.
