Armies of Russia's War in Ukraine

Illustrated investigation of the forces fighting today's civil war in Ukraine, including Russian regular and clandestine units.

Using his extensive contacts in both Russia and Ukraine, and access to a mass of official and unofficial sources, Mark Galeotti presents a thorough and intriguing primer on all the forces involved in the ongoing conflict in the Ukraine. Supported by specially commissioned artwork, he analyzes both the progress of the war, and what it teaches us about Russia's current military capabilities.

In February 2014, street protests in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities led to the ousting of the Russian-backed President Yanukovych. The so-called Euromaidan Revolution saw many changes to the Ukraine's constitution, but the violent reaction in the east and south of the country led to armed counter-revolution, unofficially backed by Russia.

This conflict is the essential example of Russia's new policy of "hybrid warfare", which blends propaganda, misinformation, and the deployment of "deniable" Special Forces and regular troops alongside proxies and mercenaries to achieve its strategic ends.

Professor Mark Galeotti, formerly senior lecturer in international history at Keele University, is Clinical Professor of Global Affairs, New York University. He is a former Foreign Office adviser on Russian security affairs, and for 15 years (1991–2006) wrote a monthly column on this for Jane's Intelligence Review. Mark's most recent books for Osprey are ELI 217 The Modern Russian Army 1992–2016 and ELI 197 Russian Security and Paramilitary Forces since 1991.

Johnny Shumate works as a freelance illustrator living in Nashville, Tennessee. He began his career in 1987 after graduating from Austin Peay State University. Most of his work is rendered in Adobe Photoshop using a Cintiq monitor. His greatest influences are Angus McBride, Don Troiani and Edouard Detaille.