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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a war long in the making and is the latest in a series of military interventions that have showcased Vladimir Putin’s deadly imperial ambitions and the ruthless and bloody strategies that serve his vision of a greater Russia. Putin’s Russia wants its empire back and it has taken the events in Ukraine for the West to finally realize it.
Alex Bellamy examines the road to Ukraine 2022 and charts the path from Chechnya, Putin’s first war which helped propel him to the presidency, through to conflict in Georgia, Crimea, the South Caucasus and Syria. He shows the central role war has played in Putin’s rule and how it has helped craft a new social contract between president and people grounded in a shared vision of Russian national identity. For anyone wanting to understand the hows and whys of the war in Ukraine, Alex Bellamy’s clear and insightful analysis is a must-read.
— John Sweeney, author of Killer in the Kremlin
An accessible guide to the last 30 years of the history of Russia and its victims. Alex Bellamy demonstrates clearly how Putin's entire reign has been building up to Russia's war on Ukraine.
— Keir Giles, author of Russia's War on Everybody
An incisive look at Putin’s use of aggressive military strategies to secure his own power, and the impact of this approach on Russia’s international relations… Bellamy provides comprehensive insight, demonstrating how these conflicts were crucial to Putin’s rise and his ability to reshape the relationship between Russians and the State.
— LSE Review of Books
Timely and Important… Warmonger is a book well worth reading for anyone interested in Russia’s near abroad assertion. It skillfully describes Moscow’s military engagements during the past thirty years and, building on this, demonstrates that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a long time in coming.
— Elias Götz, H-Diplo
Introduction
1. Collapse
2. Chechnya
3. Georgia
4. Ukraine I
5. Syria
6. Nagorno-Karabakh
7. Shadows
8. Ukraine II