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. 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 of
Russia from the First Chechen War to the two military incursions into Georgia the annexation
of Crimea and the eventual invasion of Ukraine itself. But it also looks more broadly at
Putin's recreation of Russian military power and its expansion to include a range of new
capabilities from mercenaries to operatives in a relentless information war against Western
powers. This is an engrossing strategic overview of the Russian military and the successes and
failures on the battlefield. Thanks to Dr Galeotti's wide-ranging contacts throughout Russia
it is also peppered with anecdotes of military life personal snapshots of conflicts and an
extraordinary collection of first-hand accounts from serving and retired Russian officers.
Russia continues to dominate the news cycle throughout the Western world. There is no better
time to understand how and why Putin has involved his armed forces in a variety of conflicts
for over two decades.
