Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine

Abstract

Russia sought to regain its influence over Ukraine and retake ownership of Crimea after the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych by pro-Western forces. This report examines the two overlapping operations to understand the Russian campaign in Ukraine in early 2014. Events unfolded rapidly after the February 22, 2014, ouster of Yanukovych, as Russia executed a covert operation using both its naval infantry forces already in place and special forces lifted to Crimea. Russia disguised troop movements with a snap exercise, which also deployed a distraction force near Ukrainian borders. Leveraging mobility, speed of action, surprise, and the capability to command forces securely at the small-unit level, Russian troops quickly seized control of the peninsula.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2017
Accession Number
AD1085258

Entities

People

  • Andrew Radin
  • Brian Nichiporuk
  • Jenny Oberholtzer
  • Katya Migacheva
  • Michael Kofman
  • Olesya Tkacheva

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Armored Personnel Carriers
  • Cyberattacks
  • Employment
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Hybrid Warfare
  • Information Warfare
  • International Law
  • Law
  • Military Science
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Policy
  • Social Media
  • Ussr
  • Warfare

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies