On the level of craft, the book is a serious piece of work […] For anyone trying to make sense of what Russia has been doing in Ukraine and Syria, and what that says about war in the 21st century, this book is a demanding but very rewarding guide.

Inter Populum: The Journal of Irregular Warfare and Special Operations

On the level of craft, the book is a serious piece of work … For anyone trying to make sense of what Russia has been doing in Ukraine and Syria, and what that says about war in the 21st century, this book is a demanding but very rewarding guide.

Inter Populum

Pennell offers a timely and thorough examination of Russian approaches to competition and war. Essential reading for those who are trying to make sense of Russian power and actions on the world stage.

Andrew Monaghan, Royal United Services Institute

“Whenever the Russian government has used military force in the 21st century - in Chechnya, in Georgia, in Ukraine, in Syria, in Kazakhstan, in Nagorno-Karabakh, and in several African countries - Western observers have been wont to claim that the nature of warfare is changing. Is that really the case? John A. Pennell addresses this question by looking closely at Russian military operations in Ukraine and Syria from 2014 through 2022. Military force was only one of the elements used by Russian leaders to pursue their objectives in those two countries, but Pennell makes clear that it was a dominant part of Moscow's policies vis-à-vis neighboring and distant regions of the world alike. In both Ukraine and Syria, the Russian armed forces deployed new technologies and tested operational innovations that could be adapted elsewhere, but their efforts at times were strikingly unsuccessful. Even if the nature of warfare has not changed as much as some have alleged, Pennell provides an excellent survey of the alterations that have occurred. Anyone who wants to understand the future of Russia's approach to warfare should read this well-written, thoroughly researched book.”

Mark Kramer, Harvard University

Pennell's book is a great contribution to the debate on how to understand Russian modern warfare. In particular, it provides a distinct empirical depth to a debate that has often lacked such. Moreover, it captures the nuances, synergies and anatomy of how the Russian regime is using new and old tools in its warfare.

Oscar Jonsson, Swedish Defense University

“For more than a decade policy makers and other security experts have been arguing over the character and even the definition of so-called 'hybrid warfare,' in which Russia, among others, blends regular and irregular combat, along with other instruments of influence such as disinformation, religion, and foreign electoral interference to advance it interests. The value of this outstanding book is that it clearly accounts for all these developments, from the Russian involvement in Syria to its invasions of Ukraine, from cyberattacks globally to battlefields in Ukraine that resemble the killing fields of World War I. This way of war is not so new, Pennell argues. Russia's actions reflect more continuity than change in warfare and more evolution than revolution. What has changed are the strategic and technological contexts. As we consider the course of the Ukraine war and how (and whether) Russia will move elsewhere, this volume will be an essential guide.”

Don Jensen, Johns Hopkins University