How the Kremlin has learned to fight tomorrow's war today

9 May 2014, Central Europe Digest

The Russian military has been dismissed for two decades as irrelevant, characterized by outdated equipment, alcoholism, and the forced prostitution of young male conscripts. In Crimea, however, Russia has demonstrated the fruits of an advancing program of materiel military modernization. Driving this change are strategic and tactical theories that underline a new Russian way of war. Importantly, this new Russian doctrine is a direct threat to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as it circumvents the triggers necessary to provide assistance to allies under Article 5.