War Is Part of Russia’s DNA

Key Points and Summary by Dr. Brent M. Eastwood – Russia’s willingness to endure a protracted and costly war in Ukraine is not merely a matter of current politics but is deeply embedded in the nation’s character.

-The Russian propensity for conflict is fueled by a unique mix of historical precedent, set by expansionist leaders like Catherine the Great, and a strategic culture that accepts immense sacrifice.

Putin with a Rifle. Image Credit: Russian State Media.

-Furthermore, the Russian language itself fosters an “us versus them” worldview, creating a perpetual need for a “main enemy” or “glavnyi protivnik.”

This combination of factors helps explain why the Russian public continues to support the Ukraine war.

History, Language, Borders, and Culture: Drivers of Russian Warfare

What is driving the Russian public to support a war that is robbing the country of its youth and vitality, costing so much in blood and treasure?

President Donald Trump has tried his best to create a ceasefire and a lasting peace. Vladimir Putin refuses these olive branches from the United States.

The Russians have declined to communicate with the US envoy Keith Kellogg regarding the conflict, stating they don’t want the retired general to participate in peace talks.

Trump has considered new sanctions and threatened tariffs against Russia, and this mix will not endear him to Putin. The Kremlin has claimed it will not stop fighting until the government in Kyiv is toppled, an objective that, if pursued, would considerably lengthen the war.

Obviously, under the iron hand of Putin, there are no domestic political pressures to stop the “special military operation” that has stretched on for 3.5 years. If you count the annexation of Crimea, the conflict with Ukraine has raged since 2014.

With Putin in charge, there are no individual civil liberties, freedom of speech, an independent press, or the possibility of protesting. So, it is difficult to discern whether the Russian people fully support the war since there is such a huge price to pay for public dissent.

But I would argue that extended periods of war are possible due to Russian history, language, borders, and culture.

Warfare is in the Russian DNA. This essay attempts to explore how it got there.

Catherine the Great Associates Borders with Culture

These drivers of warfare mix so much that it is difficult to tease them out. One could focus solely on Catherine the Great, who provided the impetus for growing the Russian empire in the late 18th century. The Tsarina seized Crimea from the Ottoman Empire, which provided Putin with a historical precedent.

MiG-25. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Catherine recognized that Russia would need to increase its military strength due to rising power imbalances in Europe. “That which stops growing begins to rot,” she said. “I have to expand my borders to keep my country secure.”

War and Peace in the Russian Language

In addition to history and borders, language is also a factor that drives the Russian people toward a warlike state. Take the concept of Russkiy Mir. This is the cultural and civilizational view that Russia is more than a country—it is an idea and a belief in exceptionalism. In this construct, Russkiy Mir means the “Russian World.” It is a recognition that a love for the Russian language and its culture is paramount.

Russkiy Mir today is also an attempt to corral all ethnic Russians and Russian speakers to give them a full connection to the Motherland in a neo-imperialist effort to regain population growth and cultural might. This is especially important in the practice of granting passports to the Russian diaspora.

Putin and many Russian people who believe that the end of the Cold War was a catastrophe are worried about ethnic Russians who lived in the former Soviet republics and countries within the Warsaw Pact.

When the Soviet Union broke apart, 25 million Russians were living outside the federation’s new borders. These people are trapped by new post-Soviet borders that Putin and his ilk believe are illegitimate. Ukraine is one such land that is viewed as a wayward province that Russia must take back with force, so regaining territory with neo-imperialism is another driver of warfare.

‘Mir’ Means Something Totally Different

However, “mir” has a different meaning that is not a driver of military action. It meant “peace” in the days of serfs and village living. This belief was a preservation of harmony between those who governed and those who were subjects. So, there is a Russian concept of living in peace in one’s own village or neighborhood. This belief kept warfare from sparking from town to town.

Russian Tu-160 Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Enemy Is the ‘Other’ 

Another outgrowth of mir in the Russian language is the idea between “my” (we) and “oni” (they). As you can predict, this creates the idea that some people are enemies. “On—ne nash” (he’s not one of us) is another example. Thus, “he” is different and not part of the Russian civilization or empire. “U nas” (in our village, our workplace, or our country) is another linguistic clue about enemies. One can see that the Russian language sets up this belief that the “other” can become an adversary and even give the supreme leader the inspiration for war against those outside the borders of Russia, whether in figurative or literal terms.

Permanent Struggle Against an Adversary

Indeed, this forged the concept of “glavnyi protivnik” (main enemy or adversary). Hence, many Russians welcome and appreciate the idea of having an enemy to struggle against. If that means war, then so be it.

Culturally, as it pertains to literature, one would think that Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace would drive this notion of war. Tolstoy himself was a war correspondent who saw combat up close. However, much of what I believe is the greatest novel of all time has ample sections of romance, gossip, comedy, and frivolity, not what one would associate with bloodshed. But combat was glorified despite the lighter moments. Other characters in War and Peace did enjoy war for the glory it would bring to the Tsar and for the splendor that individual soldiers could take home in the form of medals and renown for their families.

There is also a strategic culture in Russia that will sustain warfare for long periods that require huge sacrifices in suffering and immense death, destruction, and casualties. Look at one of the best novels on World War Two—Life and Fate by the Ukrainian-born Vasily Grossman. This tour de force documented the Soviet experience against Nazi Germany—a 20th-century version of Tolstoy’s War and Peace that created a belief in fighting back against all odds.

Thus, there are numerous examples of history, language, borders, and culture that drive the Russian way of war. Supreme leaders from the Tsars to Stalin, to other Communist party chairmen, and now Putin, are inspired by linguistics and the etymology of words born during the days of peasantry.

The Russians will always have an enemy, and this brings the country to war footing constantly. We must only examine different Russian words and their meanings, as well as past empires and strategic culture, to understand how Russia often expects war to be inevitable and worth pursuing indefinitely.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.

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