"An exceptionally interesting book. Aleksandr Golts has drawn on years of experience reporting on military affairs to produce a detailed assessment of Russia's recent military reform and a fascinating analysis of the role of the military in the Russian state." —David Holloway, Stanford University"Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the contemporary Russian armed forces." —Angela Stent, Georgetown UniversityAleksandr Golts traces the evolution of the Russian military, from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the incursions in eastern Ukraine in 2014–2017. Golts also sheds light on the reemergence of militarism in the Putin era, exploring its origins and making sense of the acceptance of the phenomenon by so much of Russian society.