Russia’s expanded invasion of Ukraine violently ended European illusions that war could never again occur on the continent. Having focused largely on “grey zone” or “hybrid threats” many in the West discounted the possibility of conventional war., and failed to see how Russia believed that, in many ways, it was already at war with the West. Indeed, Moscow’s “Special Military Operation” one year on has dramatically challenged the West’s views of Russia’s understanding of war.

Dr. Oscar Jonsson, the author of “The Russian Understanding of War” joins CSPC to discuss how the expanded invasion of Ukraine fits within Russia’s longer-term understanding of war and, perhaps even more importantly, how the outcome of the war will affect the thinking of Russia’s elites on military affairs and the country’s strategic culture. Dr. Jonsson will be in conversation with Joshua C. Huminski, the Director of the Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence & Global Affairs.

 Dr. Oscar Jonsson is director for Phronesis Analysis and researcher at Swedish Defence University. He holds a PhD from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. He has earlier been Director of the Center for the Governance of Change and Stockholm Free World Forum, as well as a visiting researcher at UC Berkeley and a subject-matter expert at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters where he worked with hybrid warfare, Russian strategy and long-term planning. Oscar has advised governments, armed forces’ leadership and financial institutions on strategic affairs and geopolitical risk, and featured in international print and broadcast media. Oscar is the author of The Russian Understanding of War (Georgetown University Press).