Overview

This book provides a detailed analysis of the evolution of Russia’s security policy. Based on extensive original research, including an analysis of official documents, political and military elite speeches, interviews, and reports, and considering the subject from the early 20th century onward, the book evaluates how far Russia’s security policy is underpinned by “strategic asymmetry”—the acceptance by Russia of its inferior military position, and the pursuit of its strategic aims through the application of a variety of methods, military and non-military, including the manipulation of public opinion, the use of economic leverage, and external security approaches—known as Russia’s “hybrid war operations”—to gain the advantage over a militarily and economically superior adversary.

The book discusses how Russia’s security policy has been and is being applied in specific cases, including the present war in Ukraine, the Russian anti-satellite program, and Russia’s contemporary Afghan policy. The aim of the book is to explain how and why Russia uses different security strategies and methods using these three cases.