Putin's War on Ukraine

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Russia's Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution

This book argues that Putin s desire to unite Russians around a common set of principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism prompted him to pursue a policy of global counter-revolution; it was this which inspired Russia s military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, later steering Putin to war against Kyiv.

Samuel Ramani explores why Putin opted for all-out regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas, and considers the impact on his own regime s legitimacy. This focus on the domestic drivers of invasion contrasts with alternative theories that highlight systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion.

Ramani concludes by assessing the invasion s implications for Russia s long-term political and foreign policy trajectory, and how the international response to the conflict will reshape the global order.