An authoritative analysis of how Putin's Russia conquered the Crimea in 2014 using 'grey zone' warfare techniques, blending operations by anonymous special forces with cyber, sabotage, and propaganda.

Russia’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014 was an almost bloodless conquest, but a crucial operation for our understanding of modern warfare. It was fought as much through propaganda, cyberattacks and subversion as force of arms, featuring a fascinating series of characters, from Russian special forces and Ukrainian defectors to gangsters sworn in as ‘self defence volunteers’.

This is a fascinating account of the Crimea operation from a well-qualified authority on modern Russian forces. It explores how Russia developed its new model of ‘hybrid’ or ‘grey zone’ warfare, from the Soviet war in Afghanistan, to the wars in Chechnya, the 2008 invasion of Georgia, and the lessons drawn from Western interventions in Iraq, Kosovo and Libya. The book covers the strategic planning, the preparations, and a detailed account of the initial seizure of the Crimea, from the choreographed appearance of ‘spontaneous’ protesters through to the deployment of unbadged Russian special forces to secure Crimea.

In this book, Mark Galeotti explores what the Crimea operation says about how Russia would go on to wage wars in the future, including in Ukraine, and what lessons other militaries have learned from it. It also looks at Crimea today, and the way Moscow is building it up as a military bastion.