What do you think?
Rate this book
Sodista taottu Venäjä - Muinais-Venäjästä nykypäivään
Kuinka pelko hyökkäyksestä – sekä todellinen että kuviteltu – on ohjannut Venäjää vuosisatojen ajan.
Arvostettu Venäjä-tutkija käy läpi maan sotia viikinkiajoista Ukrainaan ja kuvaa niiden vaikutuksia venäläiseen mielenlaatuun.
Monet valtiot ovat syntyneet sotien keskellä, mutta harvaan maahan ne ovat vaikuttaneet yhtä vahvasti kuin Venäjään. Sodat ovat muokanneet vuosisatojen ajan venäläistä mielenlaatua ja pitäneet yllä ainaista pelkoa siitä, että joku pyrkii hyökkäämään Venäjän kimppuun. Venäläiset ovat myös syvästi tietoisia sodan kauhuista ja hinnasta, jonka he ovat joutuneet sodista maksamaan. Sodat ja jatkuva valmistautuminen niihin ovat muokanneet koko maan kehitystä ja toisaalta rakentaneet kansallista identiteettiä.
Sodat eivät ole Venäjälle vain menneisyyttä vaan niiden vaikutus ulottuu vahvasti myös nykypäivään. Siksi myös Putin väittää vakaasti, että hyökkäys Ukrainaan ei ollut Venäjän imperialismia, vaan välttämätöntä valtion turvaamiseksi, ennen kuin lännen aseet päätyvät Ukrainan rajalle.
Mark Galeotti on Lontoossa asuva professori ja tietokirjailija. Häntä pidetään yhtenä maailman arvostetuimmista Venäjä-tutkijoista. Hänen tutkimuskohteitaan ovat nyky-Venäjä, turvallisuus ja kansainvälinen järjestäytynyt rikollisuus. Galeotti on kirjoittanut lähes 30 kirjaa, muun muassa teokset Voima ja valta – Venäjän mafia Kremlin suojeluksessa ja Putinin sodat – Tšetšeniasta Ukrainaan.
Arvostettu Venäjä-tutkija käy läpi maan sotia viikinkiajoista Ukrainaan ja kuvaa niiden vaikutuksia venäläiseen mielenlaatuun.
Monet valtiot ovat syntyneet sotien keskellä, mutta harvaan maahan ne ovat vaikuttaneet yhtä vahvasti kuin Venäjään. Sodat ovat muokanneet vuosisatojen ajan venäläistä mielenlaatua ja pitäneet yllä ainaista pelkoa siitä, että joku pyrkii hyökkäämään Venäjän kimppuun. Venäläiset ovat myös syvästi tietoisia sodan kauhuista ja hinnasta, jonka he ovat joutuneet sodista maksamaan. Sodat ja jatkuva valmistautuminen niihin ovat muokanneet koko maan kehitystä ja toisaalta rakentaneet kansallista identiteettiä.
Sodat eivät ole Venäjälle vain menneisyyttä vaan niiden vaikutus ulottuu vahvasti myös nykypäivään. Siksi myös Putin väittää vakaasti, että hyökkäys Ukrainaan ei ollut Venäjän imperialismia, vaan välttämätöntä valtion turvaamiseksi, ennen kuin lännen aseet päätyvät Ukrainan rajalle.
Mark Galeotti on Lontoossa asuva professori ja tietokirjailija. Häntä pidetään yhtenä maailman arvostetuimmista Venäjä-tutkijoista. Hänen tutkimuskohteitaan ovat nyky-Venäjä, turvallisuus ja kansainvälinen järjestäytynyt rikollisuus. Galeotti on kirjoittanut lähes 30 kirjaa, muun muassa teokset Voima ja valta – Venäjän mafia Kremlin suojeluksessa ja Putinin sodat – Tšetšeniasta Ukrainaan.
553 pages, ebook
Published August 27, 2025
54 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 28, 2024
Have you ever asked yourself, "Geez, what is Russia's deal?" Well, Mark Galeotti is here to explain! His newest book, Forged in War, is a (relatively) short look at the life of what we call Russia today but was called a lot of things during its lifetime. The main focus is on the numerous wars fought by the Russian people to create, consolidate, and defend the motherland. Along the way, Galeotti helpfully points out specific events which Putin uses to try and fool anyone within hearing distance that there is historical precedence for the various countries he tramples over.
Galeotti himself points out a true detailing of all of these wars would fill numerous volumes. Each chapter ends with a supplemental reading list in case you want to know more about how, for example, Ivan the Terrible was actually a great state builder until he become... well, terrible. This does mean the narrative will have some overlapping timelines and I am sure some generous generalizing. What I find makes Galeotti so readable under these circumstances is his ability to focus on a character and tell their story which applies to the general time period. A listing of wars and who won them would be very dull. Explaining how Peter the Great built his military apparatus and used it is much more entertaining. It also helps that Galeotti's dry wit is still in full force. I highly recommend it.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by Netgalley and Osprey Publishing.)
Galeotti himself points out a true detailing of all of these wars would fill numerous volumes. Each chapter ends with a supplemental reading list in case you want to know more about how, for example, Ivan the Terrible was actually a great state builder until he become... well, terrible. This does mean the narrative will have some overlapping timelines and I am sure some generous generalizing. What I find makes Galeotti so readable under these circumstances is his ability to focus on a character and tell their story which applies to the general time period. A listing of wars and who won them would be very dull. Explaining how Peter the Great built his military apparatus and used it is much more entertaining. It also helps that Galeotti's dry wit is still in full force. I highly recommend it.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by Netgalley and Osprey Publishing.)
February 24, 2025
Forged in War: A Military History of Russia, from Its Beginnings to Today by Mark Galeotti explores the military history of Russia from its emergence under the Viking/Slavic hybrid city states to its active war with Ukraine. Throughout the author shows how the different authoritarian regimes throughout history have defended Russia or expanded the empire whether into Siberia and the East or to the Baltic Sea and Europe to the West. Galeotti manages to take a complex look at the psyche of leaders such as Ivan the Terrible, Catherine the Great, and even Putin and show how each leader responds to challenges to their reign and nation.
I really enjoyed this book and felt like I learned a lot in a very short amount of pages. I really appreciate the background and explanation of the modern Ukrainian war as described from an expert on the region and its history. I also like that the author went all the way back in history when the Vikings established the first city states in the 7th century to show the links of war throughout time and to explain how we got to where we are today.
Overall, it’s a great read and easy to digest if you’re looking for history on medieval Russia, to Russia under the Mongols, Russia in the Napoleonic Wars, the Russian Revolution, and even Russia in the Cold War. But my favorite addition is the end of each chapter where the author includes additional suggestions if the reader is particular interested in that time period or people and the addition of outside media suggestions whether it’s a movie on Vladimir the Great or a video game on the Russo-Japanese War.
I really enjoyed this book and felt like I learned a lot in a very short amount of pages. I really appreciate the background and explanation of the modern Ukrainian war as described from an expert on the region and its history. I also like that the author went all the way back in history when the Vikings established the first city states in the 7th century to show the links of war throughout time and to explain how we got to where we are today.
Overall, it’s a great read and easy to digest if you’re looking for history on medieval Russia, to Russia under the Mongols, Russia in the Napoleonic Wars, the Russian Revolution, and even Russia in the Cold War. But my favorite addition is the end of each chapter where the author includes additional suggestions if the reader is particular interested in that time period or people and the addition of outside media suggestions whether it’s a movie on Vladimir the Great or a video game on the Russo-Japanese War.
September 17, 2024
I found this book to be a difficult one to review. The conceit - the history of Russia told via the history of individual battles - is a good one, and up until the nineteenth century it works really well. Of necessity Galeotti gives us a potted history of what else is going on in Russia (or Rus' or Muscovy) at the time as context for the battle he's discussing, but the narrative is smooth and straightforward and he does an excellent job at linking the battles and history back and forth, so he's referencing twentieth-century or twenty-first-century events while explaining something that happened in the middle ages, which again lends context to what we're reading.
Then we hit the nineteenth century and it basically becomes a giant mess. In a larger sense I think the issue is the globalization of war at this point; you can no longer briefly explain what's going on in the vicinity of Russia without first explaining, e.g., what the heck Napoleon is doing in France. Or perhaps you could - I'm not a historian, I've never tried to distill the Napoleonic Wars down to a couple pages, maybe it's possible? - but Galeotti doesn't. Where, for example, we have a couple sentences at most explaining what's going on in the Mongol Empire outside of their invasion of Russia, now we have epic, sweeping, global (or at least European-wide) battles and wars, and consequently a whole host of other things that require explanation.
We're also suddenly getting much more than a few brief sentences on Russian history outside of this particular battle. The battles seem to be an afterthought as we approach the twentieth century in favor of a brief history of Russia in total, and it feels very different as a narrative. It feels rushed and incomplete; there's just too much information there and Galeotti is rushing through it to get it all on page. I get it, the history of Russia was complicated, but it's really too complicated to be covered with this framing. It feels both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time, because he doesn't have enough space to include everything he would need to in order to make it all make sense.
When we hit the twenty-first century I found it became much more readable again; Galeotti's no longer trying to cram in the substance of something he, and others, wrote many, many books about, and instead is just giving the reader an explanation of what the heck is going on inside Russia militarily in the twenty-first century, based in large part on his own research and interviews. This is the kind of contemporary narrative that's informative and engrossing - Galeotti's an excellent writer overall, and has the background to actually pull together a narrative that makes sense.
The setup of the book makes it easy to dip in and out of; as a result, I'd say dip into the beginning chapters and the last few, and just skip the nineteenth and twentieth centuries unless you're curious. Otherwise, check his bibliographies (which are excellent) and pick up a few of those books to learn more about those periods.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley, but these are my own honest opinions.
Then we hit the nineteenth century and it basically becomes a giant mess. In a larger sense I think the issue is the globalization of war at this point; you can no longer briefly explain what's going on in the vicinity of Russia without first explaining, e.g., what the heck Napoleon is doing in France. Or perhaps you could - I'm not a historian, I've never tried to distill the Napoleonic Wars down to a couple pages, maybe it's possible? - but Galeotti doesn't. Where, for example, we have a couple sentences at most explaining what's going on in the Mongol Empire outside of their invasion of Russia, now we have epic, sweeping, global (or at least European-wide) battles and wars, and consequently a whole host of other things that require explanation.
We're also suddenly getting much more than a few brief sentences on Russian history outside of this particular battle. The battles seem to be an afterthought as we approach the twentieth century in favor of a brief history of Russia in total, and it feels very different as a narrative. It feels rushed and incomplete; there's just too much information there and Galeotti is rushing through it to get it all on page. I get it, the history of Russia was complicated, but it's really too complicated to be covered with this framing. It feels both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time, because he doesn't have enough space to include everything he would need to in order to make it all make sense.
When we hit the twenty-first century I found it became much more readable again; Galeotti's no longer trying to cram in the substance of something he, and others, wrote many, many books about, and instead is just giving the reader an explanation of what the heck is going on inside Russia militarily in the twenty-first century, based in large part on his own research and interviews. This is the kind of contemporary narrative that's informative and engrossing - Galeotti's an excellent writer overall, and has the background to actually pull together a narrative that makes sense.
The setup of the book makes it easy to dip in and out of; as a result, I'd say dip into the beginning chapters and the last few, and just skip the nineteenth and twentieth centuries unless you're curious. Otherwise, check his bibliographies (which are excellent) and pick up a few of those books to learn more about those periods.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley, but these are my own honest opinions.
Read
October 23, 2025Sattuneesta syystä Venäjästä ja sen historiasta on viime aikoina ilmestynyt paljon kirjoja. Aiheesta aiemminkin kirjoittanut brittiläinen Mark Galeotti keskittyy venäläisyyden tympeimpään ominaisuuteen eli sotaisuuteen.
Jos aihe on aiemmin tuttu, Galeotti ei tarjoa paljon uutta. Historialliset käännekohdat ravataan läpi, kunnes 1900-luvulle tultaessa juututaan tarpeettomaan pikkutarkkuuteen. En tiedä, onko kokonaiskuvan kannalta suurtakaan merkitystä mikä divisioona missäkin sai selkäänsä tai voitti vastustajansa. Muutenkin Sodista taottu Venäjä on vähän kiireessä kirjoitetun tuntuinen.
Kiinnostava tästä tulee aivan viimeisissä luvuissa, jolloin Galeotti käsittelee nykyistä Putinin Venäjää. Se lienee hänen varsinaista osaamistaan muutenkin. On jo pitkään tuntunut, että Venäjä on ainoa maa, joka edelleen elää toisen maailmansodan päättymisen jälkeisiä vuosia. He määrittelevät itsensä sodan kautta ja näkevät siten puolustavansa jotain ainutkertaista, jopa messiaanista. Maan rajojen sisäpuolella asuu pelkästään joko patriootteja tai pettureita. Rajojen ulkopuolella toisaalta ei mitään muuta olekaan kuin vihollisia. Ortodoksipapit siunaavat murhaamaan lähtevät sotajoukot.
Venäjän historia puoltaa näkemystä, että siitä ei koskaan tule demokraattista ja edes osittain liberaalia yhteiskuntaa, mutta itse uskallan olla toiveikkaasti eri mieltä. Yksikään valtio tai kansakunta ei ole ollut alusta lähtien demokraattinen ja joillain muutos on kestänyt pitempään kuin toisilla. Mitä ikinä kansanluonteesta sanotaankaan, monella venäläisellä on paljon enemmän rohkeutta kuin minulla ikinä tulee olemaan heidän vastustaessaan murhanhimoista fasistihallintoa.
Sodista taottu Venäjä on kelvollinen perusteos Venäjän historiasta ja jos ihmiskunnan historia on sotien historiaa, niin Venäjän suhteen näin vasta onkin. Toisin sanoen sotiin painottuminen ei vääristä kokonaisuutta kovinkaan paljon. Tämä on helppolukuinen ja asiantuntevasti kirjoitettu teos ja saattaa hyvinkin lisätä nälkää oppia ja lukea aiheesta lisää. Itse en ole sitä mieltä, että Venäjä tai venäläiset olisivat mitenkään muita pahempia, mutta erinäiset hallitsijat ovat olleen omiensa pahimpia vihollisia, mukaan lukien nykyinen hallinto.
Jos aihe on aiemmin tuttu, Galeotti ei tarjoa paljon uutta. Historialliset käännekohdat ravataan läpi, kunnes 1900-luvulle tultaessa juututaan tarpeettomaan pikkutarkkuuteen. En tiedä, onko kokonaiskuvan kannalta suurtakaan merkitystä mikä divisioona missäkin sai selkäänsä tai voitti vastustajansa. Muutenkin Sodista taottu Venäjä on vähän kiireessä kirjoitetun tuntuinen.
Kiinnostava tästä tulee aivan viimeisissä luvuissa, jolloin Galeotti käsittelee nykyistä Putinin Venäjää. Se lienee hänen varsinaista osaamistaan muutenkin. On jo pitkään tuntunut, että Venäjä on ainoa maa, joka edelleen elää toisen maailmansodan päättymisen jälkeisiä vuosia. He määrittelevät itsensä sodan kautta ja näkevät siten puolustavansa jotain ainutkertaista, jopa messiaanista. Maan rajojen sisäpuolella asuu pelkästään joko patriootteja tai pettureita. Rajojen ulkopuolella toisaalta ei mitään muuta olekaan kuin vihollisia. Ortodoksipapit siunaavat murhaamaan lähtevät sotajoukot.
Venäjän historia puoltaa näkemystä, että siitä ei koskaan tule demokraattista ja edes osittain liberaalia yhteiskuntaa, mutta itse uskallan olla toiveikkaasti eri mieltä. Yksikään valtio tai kansakunta ei ole ollut alusta lähtien demokraattinen ja joillain muutos on kestänyt pitempään kuin toisilla. Mitä ikinä kansanluonteesta sanotaankaan, monella venäläisellä on paljon enemmän rohkeutta kuin minulla ikinä tulee olemaan heidän vastustaessaan murhanhimoista fasistihallintoa.
Sodista taottu Venäjä on kelvollinen perusteos Venäjän historiasta ja jos ihmiskunnan historia on sotien historiaa, niin Venäjän suhteen näin vasta onkin. Toisin sanoen sotiin painottuminen ei vääristä kokonaisuutta kovinkaan paljon. Tämä on helppolukuinen ja asiantuntevasti kirjoitettu teos ja saattaa hyvinkin lisätä nälkää oppia ja lukea aiheesta lisää. Itse en ole sitä mieltä, että Venäjä tai venäläiset olisivat mitenkään muita pahempia, mutta erinäiset hallitsijat ovat olleen omiensa pahimpia vihollisia, mukaan lukien nykyinen hallinto.
February 17, 2025
Waste of 34 euros. Military history is not Galeotti`s forte and this book confirms it once again. List of my issues with this book is long:
- Autor often omits details critical to understanding the events he describes (ex. viking policies towards the polities they ride and thus dynamics of varangian invitation to rule local savs).- Questionable decision to approach the book by subject rather than by period. War is a complex social phenomenon where it is impossible to clearly distinguish between black and white, unless it`s done post factum. (ex.book fis to explain why rus t struggled fighting horseback nomads, time and time again falling to their usual tactics).
- The book seems to be just a collection of war related observations failing to provide the reader with an analytical framework to understand how those developments are relevant for future developments. (ex: Battle of Lake Peipus, if we omit the Soviet propaganda, I fail to see any of its relevance for future developments in Rus).
- Rather questionable sources (Ex: other sources on Battle of Lake Peipus cite much lower casualties on crusaders side).
- Lack of understanding of military history(ex. statements that firearms were the factor that led to decline of cavalry, or Napoleonic period producing revolution in military affairs).
- Outright mistakes (ex. Charles the 12th became the Lion of the North).
- Poor editing (ex. First Chechen war starting in 1984).
- Autor often omits details critical to understanding the events he describes (ex. viking policies towards the polities they ride and thus dynamics of varangian invitation to rule local savs).- Questionable decision to approach the book by subject rather than by period. War is a complex social phenomenon where it is impossible to clearly distinguish between black and white, unless it`s done post factum. (ex.book fis to explain why rus t struggled fighting horseback nomads, time and time again falling to their usual tactics).
- The book seems to be just a collection of war related observations failing to provide the reader with an analytical framework to understand how those developments are relevant for future developments. (ex: Battle of Lake Peipus, if we omit the Soviet propaganda, I fail to see any of its relevance for future developments in Rus).
- Rather questionable sources (Ex: other sources on Battle of Lake Peipus cite much lower casualties on crusaders side).
- Lack of understanding of military history(ex. statements that firearms were the factor that led to decline of cavalry, or Napoleonic period producing revolution in military affairs).
- Outright mistakes (ex. Charles the 12th became the Lion of the North).
- Poor editing (ex. First Chechen war starting in 1984).
January 3, 2025
In this complicated and complex history of Russia and its military past and present, Mark Galeotti focuses on a series of questions about how and why Russia goes to war, forges its national identity in it, and how these wars impact their history, politics, culture, and reputation in and out of the country. From the medieval wars against Scandinavia and the Mongol empire to nineteenth century empire building in Asia and twentieth century revolutions, the book covers the ways in which warfare shaped Russia and how it led to Putin’s rise at the beginning of the twenty-first century and the current Ukrainian invasion and war. With its focus on primary documents and historical analysis, the depth of detail and information in this book does a fantastic job in bringing these different wars together to create this larger analysis and picture of Russia, while Galeotti’s narrative style is incredibly effective and well-written. This clever consolidation of military histories and the emphasis on creating the big picture through a series of related events is a fantastic example of the benefits of history books and historical analysis and their relationship to current events and modern politics in this detailed, interesting, and important new release.
Thanks to NetGalley and Osprey Publishing for the advance copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Osprey Publishing for the advance copy.
August 17, 2025
A very interesting read that covers a very extensive amount of history. Starting well before what is considered modern day Russian as we know it is formed, the author follows large chunks that are thematically linked to describe history, and through a special lens of war. From struggling against Viking raiders, to the mongol yoke, to Turkic clashes, and expansion of borders.
In no way could you cover every aspect, but the author recognizes that and did a goods job distilling things to key moments and their larger context, while also including necessary bits of other factors (political machinations, economic pressures, etc.) to help rebel motivations of the times and at times their link to modern era. I found it especially helpful that each chapter ended with a brief literary review of additional sources if you want more information. I also liked his quippy little comments such as “A staple of Russian security is the pendulum swings between fear of external threat and fear of internal unrest” or that “Vladimir Putin, a man whose passion for history is only equalled by his inability to understand it.”
Things digs get more fuzzy in the modern era, globalization makes describing history in this way much more complex and unwieldy to tackle, but I think the author did a good job still. I’d definitely recommend it for others, a good read.
In no way could you cover every aspect, but the author recognizes that and did a goods job distilling things to key moments and their larger context, while also including necessary bits of other factors (political machinations, economic pressures, etc.) to help rebel motivations of the times and at times their link to modern era. I found it especially helpful that each chapter ended with a brief literary review of additional sources if you want more information. I also liked his quippy little comments such as “A staple of Russian security is the pendulum swings between fear of external threat and fear of internal unrest” or that “Vladimir Putin, a man whose passion for history is only equalled by his inability to understand it.”
Things digs get more fuzzy in the modern era, globalization makes describing history in this way much more complex and unwieldy to tackle, but I think the author did a good job still. I’d definitely recommend it for others, a good read.
November 19, 2025
Forged in War presents itself as a sweeping military history of Russia, but it unfortunately reads more like a collection of loosely connected summaries than a serious work of scholarship. The narrative relies heavily on oversimplifications, cliché interpretations, and what often feels like information pulled straight from easily accessible online sources rather than original research or thoughtful analysis.
The book’s framing leans so strongly into a preconceived anti-Russian narrative that it becomes difficult to take seriously as an objective historical account. Instead of engaging with the complexity of Russian history, the author opts for a one-dimensional and frequently sensationalized portrayal, which weakens the credibility of the entire work.
If the author intends to write authoritative history, I would strongly recommend beginning with established works by genuine scholars—such as George Vernadsky’s History of Russia—before attempting a project of this scope. Vernadsky may be dated in some areas, but he offers an example of depth, nuance, and respect for primary sources that this book sorely lacks.
I am giving this book 2 stars only because the chronology of events is, for the most part, accurate. Beyond that minimal merit, the work does little to contribute meaningfully to the study of Russian military history.
The book’s framing leans so strongly into a preconceived anti-Russian narrative that it becomes difficult to take seriously as an objective historical account. Instead of engaging with the complexity of Russian history, the author opts for a one-dimensional and frequently sensationalized portrayal, which weakens the credibility of the entire work.
If the author intends to write authoritative history, I would strongly recommend beginning with established works by genuine scholars—such as George Vernadsky’s History of Russia—before attempting a project of this scope. Vernadsky may be dated in some areas, but he offers an example of depth, nuance, and respect for primary sources that this book sorely lacks.
I am giving this book 2 stars only because the chronology of events is, for the most part, accurate. Beyond that minimal merit, the work does little to contribute meaningfully to the study of Russian military history.
December 26, 2024
Russia has a very complex history, and it can be very difficult to follow. There are aspects of it that I have had some issues with, even though I hold both degrees in history. I will say that I always enjoyed reading through the Romanov history and its tragic ending.
This was a fantastic book, full of great information and a well-informed break down. With the often confusing jumble of history, I really enjoyed being able to get a great background in the history and running of the military.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the suggested reading at the end of each chapter. I do enjoy diving into different books, and reading deeper on the topics that interest me. I didn't have to go through the bibliography to find books that I might want to check out.
Enjoyable and full of interesting facts.
This was a fantastic book, full of great information and a well-informed break down. With the often confusing jumble of history, I really enjoyed being able to get a great background in the history and running of the military.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the suggested reading at the end of each chapter. I do enjoy diving into different books, and reading deeper on the topics that interest me. I didn't have to go through the bibliography to find books that I might want to check out.
Enjoyable and full of interesting facts.
March 15, 2025
A solid review of Russia history from a military perspective. It can’t account for everything, but what parts of history it does discuss, it involves a military flavor, from the various wars of royal succession in Kievyan Rus, to the Mongols, the constant battles with the Ottomans/Turks and its Eastward expansion. Events like the Napoleonic Wars, World War I and World War II get the bulk of the attention, mainly due to the access to resources. The chapters are generally readable and you don’t have to be a military historian to comprehend what all is being written. Of note, the author includes sourcing at the end of each chapter, including video games and visual media, which is a nice touch for a historical work. Worth at least one read.
November 2, 2025
The author did a fine job with an impossible task: cover 1000+ years of history, following just the one (military) theme, and don't get bogged down. In that sense, a fine achievement.
The parameters of the book, of course, meant that there were disappointments here and there with whatever might be anyone's favorite period/event/personality. But for areas I was less familiar with, it felt like a solid introduction. The "Want to Know More?" recommendations at the end of each chapter were a delight, especially the author's unvarnished opinion on how erudite, stuffy, or just plain wrong other books are.
The parameters of the book, of course, meant that there were disappointments here and there with whatever might be anyone's favorite period/event/personality. But for areas I was less familiar with, it felt like a solid introduction. The "Want to Know More?" recommendations at the end of each chapter were a delight, especially the author's unvarnished opinion on how erudite, stuffy, or just plain wrong other books are.
December 25, 2024
I liked the main argument of the book and the fact that Galeotti comes to the conclusion that a major shock, the kind that a defeat in its aggression against Ukraine can be, is needed for Russia to start changing its strategic culture forged in war. The history of wars is too detailed for me but gives one an idea of Russia's "peaceful" nature.
October 6, 2025
Forged in War- repression, corruption, incompetence and a sense of infereriority
Russia isn’t an enigma so much as a state characterized by endemic wars, conquest, repression and corruption. Galeotti details many of these factors but fails to state the logical conclusion which is that currently Russia is undeniably a failed state.
Russia isn’t an enigma so much as a state characterized by endemic wars, conquest, repression and corruption. Galeotti details many of these factors but fails to state the logical conclusion which is that currently Russia is undeniably a failed state.
July 17, 2025
Quick read. Felt like early parts were just a bunch of people group names, and places that were hard to keep track of. Not sure if Russia much different than other European states in dealing with so much war, or even other areas of the world, but certainly was a regular occurence.
August 28, 2025
A very comprehensive lay down of Russian history through the war, campaigns, and battles fought by the country. What I really appreciate is the recommended further drill down readings, movies, and games.
November 7, 2024
Absolutely love this type of read. An abridged history of Russian power with suggestions for further reading. An excellent source for understanding a complex history
March 22, 2025
A useful journey through Russian history focused on how war has always impacted Russian strategy, policy, and governance. Great analysis throughout. (11/2025)
April 20, 2025
Helpful, including the reading list at the end of each chapter. But, how quickly a book is overtaken by events - Trumps US has upended what possibilities are now open to Putin.
July 23, 2025
Russia, perhaps more than most other countries, has been shaped by its precarious strategic position, meaning that war and the military have been central to the development of Russian society.
November 23, 2025
intriguing. insightful. interesting. a look at what shaped and continues to shape russian strategic culture.
November 25, 2025
Kattava pikakelaus Venäjän sotaisaan historiaan.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews