Scope and Complexity in Russian Military Exercises

Russia’s reemergence on the world stage in the last two decades has been a slow but steady progress towards furthering their goals of creating a multipolar world dictated by multiple actors dominating their periphery while vying for global ambitions. Since 2008, Russia has reorganized their military to create more flexible and competent force capable of sustaining multiple military operations simultaneously. The increased scope and complexity of Russian exercises over the last half-decade showcase the success of Russian efforts to reinforce Russian influence over its periphery. Both the invasion of Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014 showcase Russian efforts of using exercises to achieve strategic goals. The previous three exercise iterations – VOSTOK 2017, TSENTR 2019, and KAVKAZ 2020 contain key principles the U.S and NATO should be aware of – Chinese participation, further integration with FSU militaries, and conducting simultaneous exercises in multiple military districts.