Non-Fiction: Review of Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine by Mark Galeotti

Like many people, I have been paying close attention to Russia's tragic “special military operation” in Ukraine the past year. In the course of consuming media trying to stay abreast of the situation, I find myself drifting toward particular voices of reason—journalists and commentators with level heads and realistic views to what is happening. Michael Clarke, Julia Ioffe, Niall Ferguson, Emily Harding, Michael Kofman, and Timothy Snyder are some of the people whose expertise provides a lighthouse in the storm of media and propaganda. Like those pundits, Mark Galeotti is another voice of reason willing to express hard truths. Seeing he released Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine in 2022, it was difficult not to want a more in-depth understanding of Russia's military operations the past two decades.

Before any criticisms of rampant capitalism are put forward, let's be quick to point out Galeotti had nearly finished writing this book before February 24, 2022. While he did take the time to add a chapter addressing Russia's attack on Ukraine (up to June 2022), it's clear based on the book's structure that the Ukraine content is tacked on. And “tacking on” in this case is wholly acceptable given the balance it strikes between providing inquisitive readers information while being respectful to those involved in the ongoing conflict. It's clear this is legitimate, expository writing without ulterior motives.

Putin's Wars is, as the title more than hints, a look into the conflicts that Russia has initiated, provided support for, or been involved with since Putin took power. Georgia to Ukraine, Chechnya to Syria, Crimea to the Donbas, it's a sordid twenty years. Galeotti does provide a couple of contextual chapters highlighting the events leading to Putin taking power, from the collapse of the Soviet Union to Yeltsin's tumultuous turn in power. But after, the book gets into stride, starting with the state of the Russian military upon Putin's taking power, how it was almost immediately put to use in Chechnya, and the decades of military revision and escalating conflict which followed.

Overall, Putin's Wars provides a “mid-level” of detail. The description of each conflict is not exhaustive, for example. Readers can find whole books discussing the individual wars elsewhere. But nor are the details light. Galeotti summarizes the behind-the-scenes happenings at the top of Russian power between conflicts, such that readers understand the political backdrop and how it paved the way for future conflicts. Regarding the conflicts themselves, Galeotti's describes the battlegrounds, major players, and key events at chapter length.

If it weren't for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the added chapter that entailed, Putin's Wars would have ended on an odd note, one I'm still trying to get my head around. The penultimate section is a relatively detailed summary of the complete Russian war machine, at least detailed enough to be out of proportion with the rest of the book. From navy to army, special forces to conscripts, nuclear to conventional, air force to national guard, Galeotti breaks down the divisions of each area of the military, including the manpower, vehicle power, and munitions available to each. Quick summary: it's huge. My working assumption as to why Galeotti included this information is that, by going out of his way to include such detail he was hoping to raise broader awareness of the state of the Russian military and its potential. There may be some quick to scoff at this potential given the relative ineptitude we see on display in Ukraine today. But that doesn't take away from the fact Russia is still “net positive” in terms of land taken since February 24 and has yet to bring to bear the entirety of its armed might. The war, unfortunately, is not over yet.

The main reason I enjoy consuming Galeotti's content online is the combination of intelligence and eloquence. When speaking he utilizes significantly more of the English language than the average person. This same erudition is put to the page in Putin's War. Sentences are precise and concise. Weight is given where due. Information is logically presented. And, perhaps most importantly, context is provided. If I had a nit to pick it would be the occasional repetition of information (How many times does the reader need to be told that a certain Russian leader is nicknamed the “furniture salesman” before they get the point?), but that is minor. Overall, the book strikes a good balance between informative and interesting.

In the end, Putin's Wars may (unintentionally) be the best stage-setting book for the ongoing war in Ukraine. For readers looking to get an understanding of why and how Russia invaded its neighbor, it is an excellent place to start. It paints the picture of a country with a chip on its shoulder looking to regain a perceived loss of international respect through authoritarian and militaristic means, without a care for the people and cities it destroys along the way, Russian or otherwise. For people who already have a good understanding of the past twenty years of Russian history, it goes without saying the book likely doesn't offer a lot of new information. But for people with only a view through the eyes of the media, this is the next, mid-weight level of detail to try.