Scholarly study of the Russian army's social history and relationship to civilian society can seem inaccessible to nonspecialist audiences. In Reese's long-duration analysis and focus on critical historical continuities readers and policymakers seeking to understand Russia's current ability to wage war on Ukraine will find a thoughtful and effective guide.

Elise Kimerling Wirtschafter, Emeritus Professor of History, California State Polytechnic University, USA

In this brilliantly compact book Reese provides an eye-opening account of Russia's deep-seated military malaise. From the time of Peter the Great to the present-day invasion of Ukraine, he shows how the army's relationship to Russian society has largely been an abusive one.

Dr Alexander Morrison, Historian of Empire and of Colonial Warfare, University of Oxford, UK