Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-296) and index.

Part I. Russia and the curse of empire -- Despotism and the quest for empire -- Comparing western and Russian legitimation theories for empire -- Putin and the end of Russian "empire fatigue" -- Putin's grand design -- The Eurasian Union: Putin's newest imperial project -- Part II. The "internal war" -- Russia as a "pluralist" one-party state -- Preaching the ultranationalist gospel: the transformation of "united Russia" -- The Nashi: Fascist blackshirts or a New Komsomol? -- Send in the Cossacks -- Part III. The wheels of war -- Three lost wars: from Afghanistan to the First Chechen War -- The mysterious apartment bombings: detonator of the Second Chechen War -- The Second Chechen War: Putin's war -- The war with Georgia, Part I: a premeditated Russian aggression -- The war with Georgia, Part II: six events announcing the Kremlin's preparation for war -- The war with Georgia, Part III: the propaganda war -- Origins of the war in Ukraine -- Russia's "hybrid war" in Ukraine: five scenarios -- Conclusion.

This fully updated book offers the first systematic analysis of Putin's three wars, placing the Second Chechen War, the war with Georgia of 2008, and the war with Ukraine of 2014-2015 in their broader historical context. Readable and clearly argued, this study is essential for understanding the dynamics of Putin's regime.