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Osprey Elite #217
The Modern Russian Army 1992–2016
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia's army has undergone a turbulent from the scattered leftovers of the old Soviet military, through a period of shocking decay and demoralization, to the disciplined force and sophisticated “hybrid war” doctrine that enabled Vladimir Putin to seize Crimea virtually overnight in 2014.
Using rare photographs and full-color images of the army in action, profiles of army leaders and defense ministers, as well as orders of battle and details of equipment and dress, this is a vivid account of the army's troubled history and of its current character, capabilities and status.
Written by an internationally respected author with remarkable access to Russian-language sources and veterans, this study is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the growing power of Russia's military.
Using rare photographs and full-color images of the army in action, profiles of army leaders and defense ministers, as well as orders of battle and details of equipment and dress, this is a vivid account of the army's troubled history and of its current character, capabilities and status.
Written by an internationally respected author with remarkable access to Russian-language sources and veterans, this study is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the growing power of Russia's military.
64 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 18, 2022
Short but to the point no faking, cooking MCs like a pound of bacon.
I read Mark's book on Russia's Wars in Chechnya, and I was fairly impressed by his knowledge and writing style. So I got myself two more - this one and the Elite series book on the Russian special forces (Spetsnaz). There's some small overlap, but again, the attention to detail is very good, and you get a bit of history, politics, commentary, as well as technical stuff, with solid photos and great airbrush drawings.
Quite recommended if a bit short, which is almost always the problem with Osprey books.
Still, if you like your mil-tech reading, this one should be on the list.
Igor
I read Mark's book on Russia's Wars in Chechnya, and I was fairly impressed by his knowledge and writing style. So I got myself two more - this one and the Elite series book on the Russian special forces (Spetsnaz). There's some small overlap, but again, the attention to detail is very good, and you get a bit of history, politics, commentary, as well as technical stuff, with solid photos and great airbrush drawings.
Quite recommended if a bit short, which is almost always the problem with Osprey books.
Still, if you like your mil-tech reading, this one should be on the list.
Igor
June 19, 2022
How does the modern post-Soviet Russian military operate? I think after February 25th, 2022 this question might seem more relevant to many with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This book for sixty four pages is jam pack with information and the author’s familiarity of the Russian Federation’s army and its history was very helpful for me as I read it, and I imagine many like myself are starving to understand more Russia’s operational capability of its Army.
The book consists of nine section (functionally “mini-chapters). After the introduction the first section is how the post-Soviet Russian army was “born in Crisis” with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Part two looks at the first Chechen war in 1994-1996, then the power projection of the 90s, part four is on the 2o00s and first reforms followed by a section on the Georgian invasion 2008 and “Putin’s Army.” The sections after that looks beyond military history, with a section on “The Russian Soldier,” and “Intervention forces” which concerns with the elite portion of the Russian military, specifically the paratroopers called VDV, the Naval Infantry and Spetnaz commandos. The final section is on weapons and equipment.
Again this book is very informative. Readers will understand the challenges the Russian Army has historically faced after the Cold War and also their capabilities. For instance I learned from this book how post-Cold War it was so hard for the Army. I imagine many Westerners might be surprise of how many “operations” the Russian military engaged in, after the Soviet Union. I learned a lot more details of the two operations in Chechnya, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikstan, Syria and peace keeping operations in the Balkans.
Perhaps the biggest things I learn has to do with how much other Russian operations remind me of Ukraine. I know the first few weeks of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine many Western military experts were confused with how the Russians are proceeding but I think some of them might be projecting US military and Western NATO doctrines in interpreting how the Russians are and aren’t making progress. But Russia’s way of doing things in Ukraine does have previous precedence so we have to be careful of thinking Russia’s is losing in Ukraine as severely as some would think (though I do think it is right to note how the Ukrainians are putting up larger resistance than anyone expected and it is true that Russia’s paying a high costs than other conflicts in terms of lives and loss of weapons and vehicles). Reading about Chechnya and Georgia made me think about extrapolation of patterns we see with Russia that is relevant for understanding the Ukraine crisis: In all three invasions there’s more than one axis of military forces moving (usually two or three different directions), and also in all three operation there’s poor logistics and poor combined arms coordination. TV pundits and analysts need to realize this instead of acting shocked at Russia doing this. Another pattern to note is that in all three previous conflicts (I am counting the previous 2014 Ukraine conflict alongside the intervention in Chechnya and Georgia) Russia got a lot of political concessions and have also became more politically and militarily entrenched in the areas they attack. While I don’t think NATO should expand anymore so close to Russia’s border I do think those that believe the blame for the 2022 Russian-Ukranian war is largely due to NATO’s expansion need to explain Russia’s military intervention in areas that weren’t courted by European and American power, and yet Russia have struck militarily or have had their military helped separatists cronies be equipped to attack the host government (I am thinking of Chechnya, Moldova, Tajikstan). Furthermore the gaslighting of the government the Russian Federation wants to attack serves as the pretext for Russian military intervention is something we see over and over again so we need to be cautious as observers in the West of Russia’s reasoning for military intervention. While I do believe American mainstream media is bias and I have major concerns for their ability to tell the complete truth, I also think we must realize Russia’s track record is even worst. I mean for two months before the February 25th invasion I was watching RT saying there will be no war and invasion, and it’s rather difficult to take RT seriously after that.
This book was written in 2017 and while its does not seem to be the author’s intention I felt this book was in some sense prophetic; not prophetic with predicting there will an outbreak of war but “prophetic” in the sense it describe the operational weaknesses of the Russian military with the lack of NCOs, conscripts who serves as the bulk of the Army with terms that are too short for a quality army, with 12 months and also the challenges of Russia’s having the gear and weapons platform for the 21st Century. If there’s a constructive criticism I have is I wish the book was longer and that it goes more into Russian military doctrine and developments of its doctrines. Still this is an important book to read for those who are interested in Russia’s military and an introduction to go more indepth with other sources.
The book consists of nine section (functionally “mini-chapters). After the introduction the first section is how the post-Soviet Russian army was “born in Crisis” with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Part two looks at the first Chechen war in 1994-1996, then the power projection of the 90s, part four is on the 2o00s and first reforms followed by a section on the Georgian invasion 2008 and “Putin’s Army.” The sections after that looks beyond military history, with a section on “The Russian Soldier,” and “Intervention forces” which concerns with the elite portion of the Russian military, specifically the paratroopers called VDV, the Naval Infantry and Spetnaz commandos. The final section is on weapons and equipment.
Again this book is very informative. Readers will understand the challenges the Russian Army has historically faced after the Cold War and also their capabilities. For instance I learned from this book how post-Cold War it was so hard for the Army. I imagine many Westerners might be surprise of how many “operations” the Russian military engaged in, after the Soviet Union. I learned a lot more details of the two operations in Chechnya, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikstan, Syria and peace keeping operations in the Balkans.
Perhaps the biggest things I learn has to do with how much other Russian operations remind me of Ukraine. I know the first few weeks of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine many Western military experts were confused with how the Russians are proceeding but I think some of them might be projecting US military and Western NATO doctrines in interpreting how the Russians are and aren’t making progress. But Russia’s way of doing things in Ukraine does have previous precedence so we have to be careful of thinking Russia’s is losing in Ukraine as severely as some would think (though I do think it is right to note how the Ukrainians are putting up larger resistance than anyone expected and it is true that Russia’s paying a high costs than other conflicts in terms of lives and loss of weapons and vehicles). Reading about Chechnya and Georgia made me think about extrapolation of patterns we see with Russia that is relevant for understanding the Ukraine crisis: In all three invasions there’s more than one axis of military forces moving (usually two or three different directions), and also in all three operation there’s poor logistics and poor combined arms coordination. TV pundits and analysts need to realize this instead of acting shocked at Russia doing this. Another pattern to note is that in all three previous conflicts (I am counting the previous 2014 Ukraine conflict alongside the intervention in Chechnya and Georgia) Russia got a lot of political concessions and have also became more politically and militarily entrenched in the areas they attack. While I don’t think NATO should expand anymore so close to Russia’s border I do think those that believe the blame for the 2022 Russian-Ukranian war is largely due to NATO’s expansion need to explain Russia’s military intervention in areas that weren’t courted by European and American power, and yet Russia have struck militarily or have had their military helped separatists cronies be equipped to attack the host government (I am thinking of Chechnya, Moldova, Tajikstan). Furthermore the gaslighting of the government the Russian Federation wants to attack serves as the pretext for Russian military intervention is something we see over and over again so we need to be cautious as observers in the West of Russia’s reasoning for military intervention. While I do believe American mainstream media is bias and I have major concerns for their ability to tell the complete truth, I also think we must realize Russia’s track record is even worst. I mean for two months before the February 25th invasion I was watching RT saying there will be no war and invasion, and it’s rather difficult to take RT seriously after that.
This book was written in 2017 and while its does not seem to be the author’s intention I felt this book was in some sense prophetic; not prophetic with predicting there will an outbreak of war but “prophetic” in the sense it describe the operational weaknesses of the Russian military with the lack of NCOs, conscripts who serves as the bulk of the Army with terms that are too short for a quality army, with 12 months and also the challenges of Russia’s having the gear and weapons platform for the 21st Century. If there’s a constructive criticism I have is I wish the book was longer and that it goes more into Russian military doctrine and developments of its doctrines. Still this is an important book to read for those who are interested in Russia’s military and an introduction to go more indepth with other sources.
May 3, 2021
Great look at the Russian Army and its reforms.
March 4, 2022
Interesting book on development of Russian army from the total disaster of 1990's 'til modern days.
If there is one thing to be criticized here is book length, Osprey books are way too short but they do pack a lot of information.
Author is very knowledgeable on all things related to Soviet/Russian security apparatus but sometimes careens towards some personal thoughts on the Eastern nations, Russians especially that I do not think provide anything but maybe some anecdotal information.
I always considered Eastern Slavs to be Europeans but after reading several books on the subject (especially excellent Helion's book about Muscovite army) it is clear that this area [due to movement of huge amount of people through history through this parts] resulted as a mix of European and Asian ways and beliefs (later included Western influences) and as such gave birth to a very [geographically, considering the overall size of the area] specific approach to everyday life and therefore martial activities. So it is expected to see different approaches than say in France and UK.
That be said, enforcing cliche's is a rather bad thing and I think author does not need it at all.
Fortunately this only gets through as I said in form of anecdotal information so it does not distract from the subject of the book.
All in all highly recommended, very interesting book that can be used (as is case with all Osprey books) as a reference for finding more detailed books on the subject.
If there is one thing to be criticized here is book length, Osprey books are way too short but they do pack a lot of information.
Author is very knowledgeable on all things related to Soviet/Russian security apparatus but sometimes careens towards some personal thoughts on the Eastern nations, Russians especially that I do not think provide anything but maybe some anecdotal information.
I always considered Eastern Slavs to be Europeans but after reading several books on the subject (especially excellent Helion's book about Muscovite army) it is clear that this area [due to movement of huge amount of people through history through this parts] resulted as a mix of European and Asian ways and beliefs (later included Western influences) and as such gave birth to a very [geographically, considering the overall size of the area] specific approach to everyday life and therefore martial activities. So it is expected to see different approaches than say in France and UK.
That be said, enforcing cliche's is a rather bad thing and I think author does not need it at all.
Fortunately this only gets through as I said in form of anecdotal information so it does not distract from the subject of the book.
All in all highly recommended, very interesting book that can be used (as is case with all Osprey books) as a reference for finding more detailed books on the subject.
June 23, 2017
An interesting and timely primer on the modern history of the post Soviet Union Russian Army. Overall this is an excellent overview of the time period in question and the various organizations within the Russian Army. Galeotti is a pretty good writer and it isn't difficult to read at all. Some more copy editing would benefit some odd phrasing throughout the book. While this is an excellent overview, more detail would be greatly appreciated. Overall, an informative, easy read.
July 6, 2017
Insightful, interesting, detailed and well-researched. All aspects I expect to see from an Osprey book and all present and correct. The story of Russian army from the 90's to the present paints a picture of a military adapting to circumstances slowly, but eventually prevailing and modernising at an astounding rate. The uniform panels and photographs provide addition perspective and show just how much has changed. A very valuable read for anyone interested in modern military history.
October 8, 2017
Very insightful book on the late Cold War to present day Russian army, their structure and weaponry. Most worthy of note is the modernisation of the armed forces in the 21st century after the Georgian conflict under Putin. It also delves into their recent conflicts, including Chechnya, Crimea, Ukraine and their intervention in Syria.
December 30, 2024
Da quando lessi sui giornali che i russi combattevano sul fronte ucraino con le pale e i picconi poichè a corto di risorse, ho sempre avuto la curiosità di saperne qualcosa di più.
Dopo aver letto questo libro confermo la mia impressione iniziale, ovvero che i russi combattono al fronte con armi come fucili, mortai, pistole e granate in linea con l’attuale 2024.
👍👍👍👍
Dopo aver letto questo libro confermo la mia impressione iniziale, ovvero che i russi combattono al fronte con armi come fucili, mortai, pistole e granate in linea con l’attuale 2024.
👍👍👍👍
February 5, 2020
Daunting read for a beginner to military history and equipments. This book emphasises quite a lot on the military equipments and it's historical development, which may be a little hard to understand at first.
May 18, 2022
Russian Army overhaul
Quite detailed rosta of Russian army equipment, a kind of military cat walk or parade. Doesn't look much like all that fancy update included soldiering, particularly when viewed alongside Ukraine's magnificent current counter offensives
Quite detailed rosta of Russian army equipment, a kind of military cat walk or parade. Doesn't look much like all that fancy update included soldiering, particularly when viewed alongside Ukraine's magnificent current counter offensives
June 22, 2017
This small volume packs an amazing amount of info. Most striking is the similarities of the Russian 2008 reforms to the American post-Vietnam reforms.
June 27, 2017
Nice quick read on the development of the Russian army after the fall of the Soviet Union. Includes some nice summaries of the operations in the Balkans, Georgia, and the Ukraine.
July 20, 2019
SRBMs and army aviation get short shrift. Its primarily a discussion of the rapidly deployable forces (Spetsnaz, VDV, Naval Infantry). By "army" he means ground forces.
December 10, 2020
Good introduction to the theme, in just 70 pages, it's a good beginning.
May 1, 2017
Not finished
I would have liked to see more TO&E information in this book than two Soviet Brigades down to Battalion level. More technical approach and less political information. Changes in tactical and strategic doctrines for two chapters; orders of battle for Brigade down to platoon for the other chapters. Information on weapons if possible or in tables. Better use of the book length could have been made. Reads more like a light history of Russian military operations 1992-2016 than a book on the modern Russian Army. Too broad
I would have liked to see more TO&E information in this book than two Soviet Brigades down to Battalion level. More technical approach and less political information. Changes in tactical and strategic doctrines for two chapters; orders of battle for Brigade down to platoon for the other chapters. Information on weapons if possible or in tables. Better use of the book length could have been made. Reads more like a light history of Russian military operations 1992-2016 than a book on the modern Russian Army. Too broad
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews