Gorenburg: Russia’s strategic nuclear forces still seen as the trump card
(The Economist) Putin’s new model army – money and reform have given Russia armed forces it can use. This week Vladimir Putin said he had ordered 40,000 of his troops,…
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Gorenburg
186 posts
Crimea Taught Us a Lesson, But Not How the Russian Military Fights
With the rapid operation that resulted in the annexation of Crimea earlier this year, the Russian military returned to the collective consciousness of the American public. Many commentators were impressed…
Opposition in Ukraine: A tale of two maps
As the situation in Ukraine’s eastern regions deteriorates, with more and more administration buildings in eastern cities and towns being occupied by separatist activists, it is worth remembering some parallel…
The Sochi Olympics and Russian National Identity
A great deal has already been written on the importance that Russian President Vladimir Putin attached to successfully staging the Winter Olympics in Sochi. The consensus among domestic and foreign…
Video: PONARS Eurasia Panel on Russia’s Annexation of Crimea
(C-SPAN) Regional experts talked about Ukrainian reaction to Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and the country’s political prospects. They also discussed the logic of Russian actions, and the impact on U.S. and…
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet
The crisis in Ukraine has highlighted the importance of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. I’ve written about the fleet in the past, but it may be worthwhile to provide an update,…
Gorenburg: War Would Create Long-Term Instability on Russia’s Immediate Border
(Washington Post) The military forces that Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use “as a last resort” in eastern Ukraine are in the early stages of a major, seven-year…
Maps of Russian and Ukrainian Military Forces
Here’s a useful map of the locations of Ukrainian military bases (as of 2008) and Russian forces located near Ukraine’s borders. It’s drawn from a new Russian language blog, and…
The Role of the Black Sea Fleet in Russian Naval Strategy
The Russian military analyst Prokhor Tebin has put together a very useful article explaining Crimea’s military significance for Russia. He highlights the Black Sea’s economic significance for Russia: Russia’s Black…
Putin’s Potentially Costly Blunder in Ukraine
I’ve avoided writing anything on the situation in Ukraine, because there’s so much material being written already and I’m not an expert on the Ukrainian military. But I do want to…