"Written by one of the world's leading experts on modern Russia, '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. 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 itself. Dr Mark Galeotti has produced a thought-provoking history of how Putin and his wars have inexorably reshaped Russia in the twenty-first century. Dr Galeotti also looks more broadly at Putin's reconstruction of military power, from mercenaries to information operatives, and how in this rekindled Cold War with the West, Putin has increasingly relied on military force to project power abroad. Galeotti does not ignore Russian military failings at both tactical and strategic level in all these conflicts, particularly during the invasion of Ukraine, and predicts both possible scenarios for this war and future military relations between Russia and its other neighbours including China. Peppered with anecdotes and first-hand accounts from serving and retired Russian officers, this is an engaging and important history of the reawakened Russian bear. There is no better time to understand how and why Putin has ordered his armed forces in a variety of wars. There is no author better placed to demystify the capabilities of the Russian military and give a glimpse into what the future may hold."-- Taken from dust jacket.