Putin’s War on Ukraine

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Vladimir Putin viewed this attack on a neighbour as a legacy-defining mission, which sought to restore a central element of Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. These aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy crumbled under the weight of sanctions.

This book argues that Putin's desire to unite Russians around a common set of principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism prompted him to pursue a policy of global counter-revolution; it was this which inspired Russia's military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, later steering Putin to war against Kyiv.

Samuel Ramani explores why Putin opted for all-out regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. This focus on the domestic drivers of invasion contrasts with alternative theories that highlight systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion. Ramani concludes by assessing the invasion's implications for Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory, and how the international response to the conflict will reshape the global order.

'[Ramani's] encyclopedic descriptions...yield interesting details and...solid tactical analysis.' The New York Times

'Clear-minded and authoritative, this book is a thorough analysis of how Putin's gambit fits into the big picture.' Kirkus Reviews

'A strongly researched account of the events that led to the tragic Russo-Ukrainian war.' The Washington Free Beacon

'An important, well-referenced book that covers the details and impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.' CHOICE

'[Ramani's] encyclopedic descriptions... yield interesting details and... solid tactical analysis.'

'Looks behind the headlines to determine the motivations for the invasion and the likely path forward. Ramani is convincing in his view that the war marks a seismic shift in the geopolitical landscape. Clear-minded and authoritative, this book is a thorough analysis of how Putin's gambit fits into the big picture.'

‘A strongly researched account of the events that led to the tragic Russo-Ukrainian war.’

‘An important, well-referenced book that covers the details and impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.’

'Unpicks Putin's concocted rationales for invading Ukraine... [and] dissects Russia's strategic military failings.'

‘The book represents an open-ended chronicle of a very short, but significant, phase in the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation.’

'[A] well-researched tour de force [...] We need more books like this one to make sense of this senseless war.' 

'A comprehensive overview.'

'This book will help those who cannot understand why and how a genocidal war of colonial reconquest came to be launched on Europe in the twenty-first century. But it also explains clearly the vital importance of that war for the future of Russia itself and of global security.'

'This valuable study offers a compelling, detailed and well-sustained argument that Putin seeks to subjugate Ukraine through war, as part of a broader illiberal "counter-revolutionary" agenda for control of former Soviet territory.'

'Samuel Ramani's book on Russia's invasion of Ukraine will doubtless be followed by many others, but when it comes to meticulous research, balanced assessments, acute insights, and comprehensiveness, this superb volume has set a very high standard.'

Samuel Ramani DPhil teaches Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford. The author of Russia in Africa, also published by Hurst, and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, he contributes regularly to Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, the BBC World Service, Al Jazeera and CNN.

Eight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Vladimir Putin viewed this attack on a neighbour as a legacy-defining mission, which sought to restore a central element of Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. These aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy crumbled under the weight of sanctions. This book argues that Putin's desire to unite Russians around a common set of principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism prompted him to pursue a policy of global counter-revolution; it was this which inspired Russia's military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, later steering Putin to war against Kyiv. Samuel Ramani explores why Putin opted for all-out regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime's legitimacy. This focus on the domestic drivers of invasion contrasts with alternative theories that highlight systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion. Ramani concludes by assessing the invasion's implications for Russia's long-term political and foreign policy trajectory, and how the international response to the conflict will reshape the global order.

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