| dc.description.abstract | In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and got involved in an insurgency in the Donbass region of Ukraine. The Russian willingness to use military force in an internationally aggressive manner surprised the West. Subsequently, these incidents sparked a vivid debate about what lay behind the Russian actions in Ukraine. This thesis attempts to shed some light on this debate by answering the question: How do the Second Chechen War, the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, and the 2014 Invasion of Crimea reveal characteristics and developments in Russian strategic culture? That is, what perspective on the use of military force is guiding the Russian decision-makers and strategic community? In order to answer the research question, the analysis will define three models of Russian strategic culture. These models are hybrid warfare, deep operations and expansive deterrence. Subsequently, the models will be compared to three cases. The cases are chosen because they show post-Cold War conflicts, in which Russia participates as one of the primary actors, and where the Russian Armed Forces are directly involved. The selected cases are: the 1999 Second Chechen War, the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, and the 2014 Russian Invasion of Crimea. Thus, this analysis will systematically describe the development of Russian conflict behavior after the Cold War and elucidate the underlying and persistent Russian strategic culture. The analysis points to a continuation of Soviet strategic culture that is influenced by changing strategic objectives and military capabilities. The thesis rejects the hypothesis of a novel Russian operational level hybrid warfare doctrine. Moreover, Russian strategic culture after the Cold War is characterized by a continuous emphasis on nuclear and conventional capabilities, where success is achieved by exposing an opponent to systemic shock through an enhanced deep operations framework. Further, strategic risk-management measures accompany the application of military force, and penetration of enemy defense systems is key to establishing this deep operations framework. | eng |