Mark Galeotti

Kuinka pelko hyökkäyksestä – sekä todellinen että kuviteltu – on ohjannut Venäjää vuosisatojen ajan.Arvostettu Venäjä-tutkija käy läpi maan sotia viikinkiajoista Ukrainaan ja kuvaa niiden vaikutuksia venäläiseen mielenlaatuun.Monet valtiot ovat syntyneet sotien keskellä, mutta harvaan maahan ne ovat vaikuttaneet yhtä vahvasti kuin Venäjään. Sodat ovat muokanneet vuosisatojen ajan venäläistä mielenlaatua ja pitäneet yllä ainaista pelkoa siitä, että joku pyrkii hyökkäämään Venäjän kimppuun. Venäläiset ovat myös syvästi tietoisia sodan kauhuista ja hinnasta, jonka he ovat joutuneet sodista maksamaan. Sodat ja jatkuva valmistautuminen niihin ovat muokanneet koko maan kehitystä ja toisaalta rakentaneet kansallista identiteettiä.Sodat eivät ole Venäjälle vain menneisyyttä vaan niiden vaikutus ulottuu vahvasti myös nykypäivään. Siksi myös Putin väittää vakaasti, että hyökkäys Ukrainaan ei ollut Venäjän imperialismia, vaan välttämätöntä valtion turvaamiseksi, ennen kuin lännen aseet päätyvät Ukrainan rajalle.Mark Galeotti on Lontoossa asuva professori ja tietokirjailija. Häntä pidetään yhtenä maailman arvostetuimmista Venäjä-tutkijoista. Hänen tutkimuskohteitaan ovat nyky-Venäjä, turvallisuus ja kansainvälinen järjestäytynyt rikollisuus. Galeotti on kirjoittanut lähes 30 kirjaa, muun muassa teokset Voima ja valta – Venäjän mafia Kremlin suojeluksessa ja Putinin sodat – Tšetšeniasta Ukrainaan.

Leading expert Mark Galeotti explores the undeclared war in the Donbas in 2014, illuminating the long-running Russia-Ukraine crisis. The emerging and undeclared struggle for Ukraine's south-eastern Donbas region that erupted after the Russian annexation of Crimea was at once an insurgency, a proxy war and a direct Russian intervention. At first, it was a struggle largely between local insurgents and Russian volunteers on the one side, and local security forces and pro-government militias on the other. Over time, Ukrainian government forces assumed a growing role – and so too did Russian regulars. Over the next year, back-and-forth struggles continued as neither side was able to assert themselves until the conflict settled into an uneasy, bad-tempered and ultimately unstable stalemate. Expert historian Mark Galeotti explores the war in the Donbas in 2014–15, detailing the eclectic mix of combatants and the mix of set-piece battles, scrappy insurgency and plain street brawls. With new artwork, detailed maps and diagrams, this book dives into the causes of the conflict, which only effectively froze in mid-2015 with the Minsk II peace deal, and shows how this played a role in the 2022 invasion.

The first authoritative, illustrated account of Russia’s high-risk strike on Ukraine’s capital, the centerpiece of its failed 2022 invasion plan. In 2022, Vladimir Putin was convinced he could seize Kyiv, install a puppet government, and close his fist on Ukraine in a matter of weeks, with minimal fighting. In this book, Dr Mark Galeotti, a world expert on Russian military history, explains how Russia’s lightning conquest was conceived and planned, and how it was defeated. He explains how Russia’s commanders did not expect to go to war and were forced to invade under-prepared, and how they nonetheless made a concerted attempt to seize Hostomel Airport and from there take the capital, with mercenaries detailed to hunt down the government. But Ukrainian military and civilian resistance thwarted the attack and within a month, the Russians were already on the retreat, leaving behind the smoking remains of the 40-mile invasion column outside Kyiv. Drawing extensively on Russian and Ukrainian sources including interviews with soldiers involved in the operation, and fully illustrated with photographs, original artwork and maps, this is the most detailed and compelling study of this operation available in English. It is the story of a strike whose defeat signalled both the shattering of Putin’s expectations of an easy victory, and the start of the reorientation of the war towards the south-east.

A masterful history of how war and insecurity, both real and perceived, have driven Russia’s destiny for centuries, including the disastrous invasion of Ukraine. Putin retains his stranglehold on his position in Russia despite an almost ruinous invasion of Ukraine. The answer as to how and why can be found in Russian history as detailed by Mark Galeotti in this new book. With no naturally defensible borders, and environmental factors constraining its economy, Russia has been pitched against the pre-eminent military powers of the age across the centuries, and often at a technological disadvantage. To respond to these challenges, it has had to sit heavily on the backs of its people, and so war – and the need to be able to fight it – has shaped its evolution, from tsars to commissars and presidents. The national identity has been forged in the furnace of war. From the medieval kingdom of Rus battling against a Scandinavian princes and Mongol emperors, to its own empire-building conflicts in 19th-century Asia, to the formative wars of the 20th century which saw Russia pitch from Tsarist empire to communist state and defender against Nazism, all these conflicts stained the lands of Russia red with blood. A weak post-Cold War Russia then turned to Putin, who created a new mood for martial triumphalism which led directly to the Ukrainian war. Packed with contemporary accounts, Forged in War strips away the myth to give an insider’s view on Russia’s past and present.

Hvordan forstå verdens største og mest komplekse nasjon? Russland er et enormt land uten naturlige grenser eller enhetlig nasjonalitet. Landet strekker seg fra den befestede enklaven Kaliningrad ved Østersjøen til Beringstredet knappe 82 kilometer fra Alaska. Det enorme landet dekker faktiske elleve tidssoner. Ingen nasjon i verden grenser til flere land enn Russland. De har vært i krig med dem alle sammen - unntatt ett, nemlig Norge. På bare 200 sider gir forfatteren Mark Galeotti et innblikk i landets dramatikk historie fra vikingen Rurik i 862 samler nasjonen Rus til Putins angrep på Ukraina vinteren 2022. Mark Galeotti (f. 1965) er statsviter, forsker og forfatter. Han leder konsulentfirmaet Mayak Intelligence og regnes for en av verdens ledende eksperter på internasjonal kriminalitet og sikkerhetspolitikk ved Russland som spesialfelt. Galeotti er tilknyttet en rekke akademiske institusjoner og foreleser bl.a ved NUPI og Universitetet i Oslo. Han er æresprofessor ved UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies og Senior Associate Fellow ved Royal United Services Institute. Han har utgitt en rekke bøker om Russland, internasjonal kriminalitet og sikkerhetspolitikk.

Russian expert Mark Galeotti provides an in-depth look at the siege that pitted Ivan the Terrible and Russia's first standing army against the Khanate of Kazan, leading to Muscovy's rise.The Khanate of Kazan, one of the greatest Turkic successor states to the Mongol Golden Horde, had for generations been a thorn in Muscovy's side, raiding its lands for slaves and plunder. The newly crowned Ivan IV, who would become known as Ivan the Terrible, was determined to end the threat once and for all, leading a massive army against Kazan in 1552, comprising the Streltsy (musketeers), Russia's first standing army, and a massive artillery and engineer train, including an English expert in siegecraft. Kazan was finally taken and brought directly into Muscovy's control, making it a truly multi-ethnic empire. The next four years would see a bitter guerrilla war against the Russians, but they were committed to the march south – going on to conquer the Astrakhan Khanate and the move east into Siberia, setting the scene for the rapid expansion of the Russian Empire under Ivan's Romanov successors.In this gripping tale of Russian history, expert historian Mark Galeotti explores the major land and river offensive that saw Kazan fall to Ivan the Terrible's Army. With colourful battlescenes, detailed 2D maps and 3D diagrams, this book showcases how this siege marked the rise of Muscovy and ultimately helped lead to the Russian state today.

Meet the world's most dangerous man. Who is the real Vladimir Putin? What does he want? And what will he do next? Despite the millions of words written on Putin's Russia, the West still fails to truly understand one of the world's most powerful politicians, whose influence spans the globe and whose networks of power reach into the very heart of our daily lives. Professor Mark Galeotti uncovers the man behind the myth, addressing the key misperceptions of Putin and explaining how we can decipher his motivations and next moves. From Putin's early life in the KGB, to the war with Ukraine, his real relationship with the US and his vision for the future of Russia - Galeotti draws on Russian sources and explosive unpublished accounts to give unparalleled insight into the man at the heart of global politics. 'Easily the shrewdest and most insightful analysis yet of Putin’s policymaking' - Foreign Affairs 'Punchy and highly readable' - TLS 'Reads like a primer for anyone poised to enter a negotiation with the Russian president' - The Guardian

This illustrated study tells the story of the Russian mercenary force led by business tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the mutiny it launched against Putin's government in 2023. Conceived by the Kremlin in 2013 as an instrument of ‘deniable’ power projection, the Wagner private military company (PMC) – or mercenary force – was a fixture of Russian foreign deployments for nine years. Led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, it was first deployed in the Donbas region of Ukraine during the undeclared war of 2014, went on to play a key role in Russia’s intervention in the Syrian civil war from 2015, and then extended its activities to six African countries and even Venezuela. It would, however, become most infamous as one of the key fighting forces in President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, before shocking the world by launching an armed mutiny in June 2023.In this compelling new account, leading expert on modern Russia Mark Galeotti examines the decade-long career of the Wagner Group, considering how it came to be, its actions across the globe and the events and motivations involved in its rebellion and eventual dissolution. Interspersed with orders of battle, units and actions, as well as profiles of all the key figures, this vital analysis is complemented by rare photographs and eight newly commissioned artwork plates.

When does a bandit become a monarch? When does a gang become a government? And is organised crime at the heart of every modern state?On a thrilling whistle-stop tour of how the world's criminal underbelly has shaped state-making, capitalism, globalisation and all forms of so-called legitimate power, Homo Criminalis shows the emergence of modern society through the evolution of the underworld and its crimes. From Chinese banditry and eighteenth-century English tea smuggling to today's cocaine submarines and the high-tech crimes of tomorrow, this book shows us how the world's dark underbelly shapes us, no matter how we try to outpace it.Entertaining, engaging and packed full of fascinating stories, Homo Criminalis is a book for those who want to see our grand story of progress through the surprising and subversive new lens of organised crime.

When does a bandit become a monarch? When does a gang become a government? And is organised crime at the heart of every modern state?On a thrilling whistle-stop tour of how the world's criminal underbelly has shaped state-making, capitalism, globalisation and all forms of so-called legitimate power, Homo Criminalis shows the emergence of modern society through the evolution of the underworld and its crimes. From Chinese banditry and eighteenth-century English tea smuggling to today's cocaine submarines and the high-tech crimes of tomorrow, this book shows us how the world's dark underbelly shapes us, no matter how we try to outpace it.Entertaining, engaging and packed full of fascinating stories, Homo Criminalis is a book for those who want to see our grand story of progress through the surprising and subversive new lens of organised crime.

A world-renowned expert offers a focused, illustrated account of how Russian and Ukrainian armour fought during the crucial year of 2022, prior to the arrival of Western tanks. The invasion of Ukraine has seen full-scale mechanized warfare return to Europe. While Western armour and training has been a major part of Ukraine’s army since 2023, in the first year of the war both the Russian invaders and the Ukrainians fought using their existing mechanized armies, in the most devastating and high-stakes war in decades. That year, Moscow’s latest tanks (bar the still undeployable T-14 Armata) found themselves engaging Ukraine’s modernized and customized Soviet-era tank fleet. World-renowned Russia specialist Mark Galeotti draws on rare Russian and Ukrainian sources to present a definitive account of the Russian and Ukrainian tanks that fought that year, before the first Western tanks arrived. He explores the rival tank armies, how they were used, and the ways they were modified in response to the emerging challenges of the war, and presents the reader with ORBATs and data on deployments new to the English-speaking world. As the war in Ukraine revolutionizes our understanding of modern warfare, this book offers an expert assessment of how Ukrainian tanks fought the Russians to a standstill in 2022, and how the lessons learned affected the course of the war.

In the early years of Vladmir Putin’s Russia, Yevgeny Prigozhin emerged as one of the President’s most trusted assets. By 2023, he had become a dangerous warlord – and also one of Putin’s chief rivals in Russia’s tumultuous political climate, exiled after leading an attempted coup, and shortly after killed in a mysterious plane crash.But what is the truth about this enigmatic figure, his role in the war with Ukraine, and the chaos unleashed across Russia by his turn against Putin? And, in the aftermath of his death, what is next for Russia in the new stage of late Putinism that Prigozhin’s life forged?In a compelling tale that unravels a complex web of power, betrayal and recrimination, Downfall delves into the profound impact of Prigozhin on the heart and soul of a nation at a crossroads. Drawing on years of research, this book traces the rise of Russia's most prominent non-state actor and examines the political climate that propelled a convicted gangster with no government office to the formidable role he came to occupy. An essential story of Russia's recent history, Downfall is also a compelling insight into its likely future.

A masterful history of how war and insecurity, both real and perceived, have driven Russia’s destiny for centuries, including the disastrous invasion of Ukraine.Putin retains his stranglehold on his position in Russia despite an almost ruinous invasion of Ukraine. The answer as to how and why can be found in Russian history. With no naturally defensible borders, and environmental factors constraining its economy, Russia has been pitched against the pre-eminent military powers of the age across the centuries, and often at a technological disadvantage. To respond to these challenges, it has had to sit heavily on the backs of its people, and so war – and the need to be able to fight it – has shaped its evolution, from tsars to commissars and presidents.The national identity has been forged in the furnace of war. From the medieval kingdom of Rus battling against a Scandinavian princes and Mongol emperors, to its own empire-building conflicts in 19th-century Asia, to the formative wars of the 20th century which saw Russia pitch from Tsarist empire to communist state and defender against Nazism, all these conflicts stained the lands of Russia red with blood. A weak post-Cold War Russia then turned to Putin, who created a new mood for martial triumphalism which led directly to the Ukrainian war. Packed with contemporary accounts, Forged in War strips away the myth to give an insider’s view on Russia’s past and present.

‘Absolutely gripping, deeply authoritative, hugely important and lethally lurid’Simon Sebag Montefiore, Sunday Times bestselling author of The World: A Family HistoryYevgeny Prigozhin emerged as one of the most dangerous warlords in the world and as one of Vladimir Putin's chief rivals in Russia's tumultuous political climate, exiled after leading Wagner's attempted coup and killed in a mysterious plane crash. But what is the truth about this enigmatic figure, his role in the war with Ukraine, and the chaos unleashed across Russia by his turn against Putin? And, in the aftermath of his death, what is next for Russia in the new stage of late Putinism that Prigozhin's life forged?Drawing on years of research, this book traces the rise of Russia's most prominent non-state actor and examines the political climate that propelled a convicted gangster with no government office to the formidable role he came to occupy. An essential story of Russia's recent history, Downfall is also a compelling insight into its likely future.

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. Written by one of the world's leading experts on modern Russia, Putin's Wars is a timely overview of the conflicts into which Russia has plunged 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, Mark Galeotti has created a vivid insight into the inner workings of the Kremlin. Updated for this paperback edition to include both the aborted coup of June 2023 and a clear overview of how and why the Russian military has struggled in Ukraine, this is a thought-provoking history of how Putin and his wars have inexorably shaped Russia in the 21st century.

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. Written by one of the world’s leading experts on modern Russia, Putin’s Wars is a timely overview of the conflicts into which Russia has plunged 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, Mark Galeotti has created a vivid insight into the inner workings of the Kremlin. Updated for this paperback edition to include both the aborted coup of June 2023 and a clear overview of how and why the Russian military has struggled in Ukraine, this is a thought-provoking history of how Putin and his wars have inexorably shaped Russia in the 21st century.

Written by a leading expert on modern Russia, this is an illustrated introduction to the bitter campaigns in Chechnya.In this new edition of his popular 2014 work, Mark Galeotti traces the progress of the wars in Chechnya, from the initial Russian advance through to urban battles such as Grozny, and the prolonged guerrilla warfare in the mountainous regions. Bringing the book up to date, including a revised introduction and new content on the Kadyrovtsy’s role in Russia’s other conflicts, Galeotti assesses how the wars have torn apart the fabric of Chechen society and their impact on Russia itself.Featuring full-colour maps and 50 new images, and drawing upon a wide range of sources, this succinct account explains the origins, history and consequences of Russia's wars in Chechnya, shedding new light on the history – and prospects – of the troubled region.

An authoritative analysis of how Putin's Russia conquered the Crimea in 2014 using 'grey zone' warfare techniques, blending operations by anonymous special forces with cyber, sabotage, and propaganda. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 was almost bloodless – fought as much through propaganda, cyberattacks and subversion as by force of arms – but it is crucial for our understanding of both modern warfare and recent Russian history. Ironically, this slick triumph eventually led to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest and costliest conventional war in Europe since 1945.This is a fascinating account of the Crimea conquest from a supremely qualified expert on modern Russian forces. Illustrated throughout, it explores how Russia developed its new model of ‘hybrid’ or ‘grey zone’ warfare, and planned and deployed it against Crimea, from the choreographed appearance of ‘spontaneous’ protesters through to the deployment of unbadged Russian elite forces. In this book Mark Galeotti explores the lessons that Russia, Ukraine, and the West took from it – correctly and mistakenly – and how this apparently textbook operation sowed the seeds that would erupt so catastrophically in 2022.