Part 1. The downward spiral -- The Soviet Union: mounting tensions -- The war in Afghanistan, 1979/1989 -- The self-destruction of the Soviet Union -- The birth of the Russian Federation -- Trouble in the "near abroad" -- The First Chechnya War -- Russia in decline -- Part 2. Halting the decline -- Saving Russia: the Second Chechnya War -- The revival of Russian institutions -- The turning point: the five day war with Georgia -- Part 3. Reconstruction -- The new look -- Asia -- Russia, Ukraine and Crimea -- Turmoil and war in Ukraine -- The Russian expedition to Syria -- The Russian military for the twenty-first century
Summary
"The transition from the Soviet to the post-1991 Russian military is a fascinating story of decline and reinvention. Lively accounts and maps describe the actions of these wars, along with the Crimea operation of 2014, the separatist struggles in eastern Ukraine and the ongoing Russian intervention in Syria"-- Provided by publisher
