Analyzing the Russian Way of War: Evidence from the 2008 Conflict with Georgia

By: Modern War Institute at West Point

Narrated by: Luis Ayala

Length: 3 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

In the dog days of August 2008, a column of Russian tanks and troops rolled across the Republic of Georgia’s northern border and into South Ossetia, sparking a war that was over almost before it began. The war, while not insignificant, lasted all of five days. The number of casualties did not exceed one thousand, the threshold most political scientists use to classify a war, although thousands of Georgians were displaced. By historical comparison, when Soviet tanks entered Hungary in 1956 and Afghanistan in 1979-89, the fatalities totaled 2,500 and roughly 14,000 respectively.

The Russia-Georgia conflict was a limited war with limited objectives, yet it was arguably a watershed in the annals of modern war. It marked the first invasion by Russian ground forces into a sovereign nation since the Cold War. It also marked a breakthrough in the integration of cyberwarfare and other nonkinetic tools into a conventional strategy - what some observers in the West have termed “hybrid warfare”. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it provided a stark preview of what was to come in Ukraine in 2014. Russian “peacekeepers”, including unmarked Russian special forces - or Spetsnaz - stationed in the region carried out an armed incursion. That is, Russia used separatist violence as a convenient pretext to launch a full-scale multidomain invasion to annex territory, a type of aggression that many analysts in the West thought was a relic of the twentieth century.

Here at USGOVPUB.COM, we publish books that are of interest from a national security point of view because they are of significance in the understanding of possible adversary actions. This book provides insight into the actions of the Russian military in a modern conflict where they implemented a cyber-enhanced assault of a foreign nation. It's a quick listen.

©2022 Modern War Institute at West Point (P)2022 Luis Ayala

Quick lesson on the 2008 Georgian war

Though quite short gives the history leading to Russia and Georgia War. Felt like a college classroom presentation. The content was very interesting, but the presentation a little shaky! Overall really interesting subject that gives background and insight into the current war in the Ukraine.