Technology in Russian Strategic Culture

This book traces the dynamics of military-technological innovation in Russia over the last hundred and fifty years, particularly focusing on three distinct periods: the introduction of rifled breech-loading weapons in Imperial Russia in the nineteenth century, the invention of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union in the twentieth century, and the development of precision-guided weapons in post-Soviet Russia in the twenty-first century. The analysis relies extensively on primary data obtained from Russian archives, complemented by a series of expert interviews, and deciphers Russia’s distinct strategic cultural approach to military-technological innovation.

Unlike far too many studies this book marries the study of strategic culture to the analysis of Russian history. The result is an illuminating book that helps us understand many of the problems of the contemporary Russian military in the context of Russian history. As Russia's war in Ukraine shows, Moscow still has difficulty realizing military technology to its maximum effectiveness and this excellent book tells us why this is still the case and likely to persist.
Stephen J. Blank, Senior Fellow at Foreign Policy Research Institute's Eurasia Program

Anzhelika Solovyeva is an assistant professor at the Department of Security Studies, Institute of Political Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University. Besides Karolinum Press, her publications have appeared in Oxford University Press, Routledge, Palgrave Macmillan, Rowman & Littlefield, as well as Scopus Q1-ranked journals and journals with an impact factor (IF).