Abstract
ABSTRACT Russian strategic culture – security policy habits of mind – is what caused the Kremlin to intervene in Ukraine in 2014. The Maidan Revolution was perceived as threatening spillover into Russia, an event misperceived by today’s chekisty to have been instigated by the US. Such groupthink is rooted in KGB groupthink about regime security in continuation of the Russian high-context strategic culture. The legacy from Andropov’s 1956 trauma and the imprint of Primakov, Putin and Patrushev is explored, hereby updating research on Russian strategic culture. The Kremlin’s threat perception evolved from a perception of vulnerability to the Ukrainian Orange Revolution of 2004. The Arab Spring inspired a domino theory of colour revolutions reiterated by other siloviki and found in military and national security doctrines. The recent formation of a Russian National Guard further testifies to the decisive inside-out logic behind Russia’s intervention against Ukraine.
Published Version
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