Ed. Alexander Hill
“Russian and Soviet Aviation,” in
The Routledge Handbook on Soviet and Russian Military Studies
Publisher: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
ISBN: 9781032407630
Publication date: 2025
Comprising essays written by acknowledged specialists, the handbook examines the development of the Russian and Soviet armed forces from the Napoleonic Wars all the way through to the course and conduct of the ‘Special Military Operation’ in Ukraine. Divided into thematic and chronological sections, the volume looks at wars fought by the Tsarist regime through to the First World War; the Soviet Union’s ‘Great Patriotic War’, from 1941 to 1945; the Cold War (including the Soviet war in Afghanistan); and Russia’s post-Soviet wars and military development. In addition, the volume also includes a section that analyses a number of ‘overarching themes’, including the development of Russian and Soviet airpower, partisan warfare, counterinsurgency and the role of women in Russian and Soviet armed forces. The volume concludes with an essay looking at whether, using the historical material and material on the conduct of the war in Ukraine, we can reasonably talk of a ‘Russian way of war’.
from Reina Pennington’s essay on “Russian and Soviet Aviation”
“Only Russia/the Soviet Union can boast of a military aviation experience that rivals that of the United States, in terms of size of forces, involvement in large and small wars, innovation in theory and design, and supplying client states around the world. However, the context of these experiences was very different indeed. Russia and the Soviet Union endured two large-scale invasions by Germany and its allies, while the United States enjoyed geographical isolation that gave protection from such invasions. Although allies in the Second World War, the air forces faced very different threats and focused on different scenarios. As enemies in the Cold War, both prepared for the existential threat of nuclear war while also training for the more likely possibility of a large-scale conventional war in Europe. Both, in the end, saw combat only in small wars and counterinsurgency/civil war scenarios.”
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“Combining empirical and analytical material on key moments in Soviet and Russian military history, this is a thought-provoking compendium of works by leading experts in their respective fields. Analysis of Russia’s strategic and military culture provides invaluable insights into the dynamics of the Russo-Ukrainian war.”
Richard Sakwa, University of Kent, UK
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“Alexander Hill has gathered a galaxy of stellar researchers whose expertise combines to produce the definitive sourcebook on Russia’s military history, doctrines and practices. Their cutting-edge contributions are as innovative as they are deep and make this book the essential starting-point for students and scholars of Russian and Soviet military studies.”