Part 1: Geopolitics and the Russian Military

As the heart of the Soviet Union, Russia reached the height of its military power during the Cold War. Having a vast empire required a vast army to defend it. But geography and poor infrastructure demanded that a heavy army be poised to guard against the West and garrisoned throughout the union to contain civil unrest. By 1991, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the success of Operation Desert Storm and the pending disintegration of the Soviet Union cast doubt on the Soviet military model and imposed a strange new reality for Russian military planners. Editor’s Note: This is part one of a four-part series on the reformation of the Russian military.