Executive Summary
This article analyzes Russian neo-imperialism, arguing that its military and state apparatus are deeply rooted in systemic violence and carceral logic. It posits that Russia operates as a "carceral-prison state" where informal hierarchies and violence are integral to its governance and continuous colonial expansion. The study highlights the weaponization of ethnic minorities and prisoners as tools of imperial strategy.
Why It Matters
This document offers a critical framework for understanding Russia's military behavior and statecraft, suggesting that its systemic violence and imperial ambitions are deeply ingrained and adaptive, rather than signs of weakness, which is crucial for defense analysts assessing long-term threats.
Key Takeaways
- Russia's military hierarchy has evolved into a brutal system where traditional hazing (dedovshchina) has mutated into a lethal management tool involving violence, extortion, and summary executions.
Source evidence · PDF page 19
The disintegration of the formal hierarchy has not led to anarchy, but rather to a ruthless form of ‘combat Darwinism’. The traditional Soviet-era practice of dedovshchina (hazing based on seniority) has mutated into a lethal management tool where violence, extortion, and summary execution – colloquially known as ‘zeroing out’ – serve as the primary mechanisms for maintaining cohesion.
- The Russian military disproportionately uses ethnic minorities from impoverished regions as "colonial infantry," creating a racialized hierarchy and exploiting economic deprivation for recruitment.
Source evidence · PDF page 22
The Russian neo-empire has its colonial infantry, which became famous far beyond Russian borders. Over the past 100 years, Russia's armed forces have established ethnic battalions
- Russia is presented as an adaptive empire that has modernized its control mechanisms through private military companies, instrumentalization of criminals, and systemic use of torture, challenging assumptions of its decline.
Source evidence · PDF page 34
The Russian Federation is not a declining state stumbling towards inevitable collapse but an adaptive empire that has successfully modernised its mechanisms of control and power projection. Its reliance on private military companies, the instrumentalization of the criminal population, and the systematic use of torture and violence are not archaic relics but modern innovations in imperial governance.
Strategic Relevance
This analysis provides a deep understanding of the ideological and structural underpinnings of Russian military and state behavior, framing it as a persistent, adaptive imperial project. This perspective is critical for developing effective long-term strategies against Russian aggression, as it suggests that conventional containment based on perceived weakness may be insufficient.