Nearly two months after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s army is refocusing on a single objective: the Donbass, in the east of the country. Since February 24, the Russian military has presented a picture far removed from that which it has projected over the past ten years. This war highlights the weaknesses of the Russian military tool and questions the modernization undertaken in 2008.
The international astonishment at the difficulties encountered also shows that Vladimir Putin will have been able to stage the rediscovered power of his army. Sylvie Noël receives today Isabelle Facon, Deputy Director of the Foundation for Strategic Research and specialist in Russian security and defense policies, who published in 2021 The New Russian Army published by Les Carnets de l’Observatoire.