Chess Pieces (Russian Generals in the Eyes of the National Defense Secretary)

Author: Bratney
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: The Russian military in recent years has been filled with interesting and often dramatic events. The press has reported on these events to the extent possible. However, there are still many, many things unknown to the outside world. The nature of the military authorities is such that they always strive for secrecy, "don't air dirty laundry." This primarily involves those aspects of the highest-level military activities that are not to be disclosed externally, as well as their relationships with the Kremlin, the government, and the parliament. The political turmoil following the dissolution of the Soviet Union dealt a heavy blow to the Russian military. Since the 1990s, senior military commanders have been frequently replaced by the president as political pawns and victims of political plots, serving as both temporary military power figures in Russian politics and the result of internal struggles within the military. Prominent military figures such as Shaposhnikov, Lobov, Grachov, Dubinin, Gromov, Kolesnikov, Lebed, and Rodionov, as depicted in the author's keen observations, form a portrait of the military elite in the political gallery. These generals, who are connected to historical and contemporary challenges such as the Afghan War, the Chechen Wars, and NATO expansion, have participated in many major events that have shaken the Russian military since 1991. The author, who once served as the press secretary of the Russian Minister of Defense, is a key witness and participant in this historical period. The author was dismissed from his position by the military after publicly publishing the chapter of this book.