The Russian National Security Strategy : shaping perceptions and coordinating actions

Dr. Katri Pynnöniemi’s review of Russian strategy documents in The Russian National Security Strategy: shaping perceptions and coordinating actions is revealing. Russian national strategy is consistent across multiple organs of the Russian government and focused on several main themes. Dr. Pynnöniemi rarely mentions Putin, but his hand is evident in the presence of the same themes that he has stressed publically for years. The strategy documents show Russia competing globally for “power and prestige” and locally for national sovereignty. Russia is painted as on the defensive against the West, which continues its Cold War policy of containment and is the instigator of all instability areas of Russian influence. These documents largely apply both internationally and domestically, as maintaining stability is a key theme. This justifies Russian actions as self-defense against Western instigated aggression. The documents stress the multi-domain aspects of competition with the West, reaffirming the US Army’s emphasis on Multi-Domain Operations. Overall, the insights into Russian strategic thinking in relation to the West provides a view to how Russia will pursue its interests and therefore what the Army may face within the Russian sphere of influence and why