Giorgio Comai reviewed Hybrid Warriors by Anna Arutunyan
How hybrid warriors without a masterplan set the stage for a full scale invasion
5 stars
What were the proximate dynamics that made possible what took place in the Donbas between 2014 and 2022? And what has even happened? An important part of the answer is convincingly outlined in Anna Arutunyan’s excellent latest book.
I am unpersuaded by her argument that back in 2014 “Moscow could not risk the domestic political debacle that would ensue, had it allowed the separatists it had backed in spirit to be defeated by Ukrainian forces” (p. 172)
Even without accepting this logic in full, however, it is not easy to dismiss a lingering feeling that apparently minor events that took place in the Donbas in the Spring of 2014 contributed to set the stage for a slippery slope that eventually led, in combination with other dynamics, to Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Either way, one does not need to accept all of Arutunyan’s points to benefit from …
What were the proximate dynamics that made possible what took place in the Donbas between 2014 and 2022? And what has even happened? An important part of the answer is convincingly outlined in Anna Arutunyan’s excellent latest book.
I am unpersuaded by her argument that back in 2014 “Moscow could not risk the domestic political debacle that would ensue, had it allowed the separatists it had backed in spirit to be defeated by Ukrainian forces” (p. 172)
Even without accepting this logic in full, however, it is not easy to dismiss a lingering feeling that apparently minor events that took place in the Donbas in the Spring of 2014 contributed to set the stage for a slippery slope that eventually led, in combination with other dynamics, to Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Either way, one does not need to accept all of Arutunyan’s points to benefit from the wealth of insights that punctuates her book.
Recommended reading.
My full review of of the book: giorgiocomai.eu/post/2022-11-hybrid-warriors-review/