Russian Conflict Management and European Security Governance: Policy and Practice

Russia’s controversial involvement in the conflict in Ukraine since 2014 has raised important enquiries into Russia’s understanding of conflict management and its approach to contemporary European security. This book provides a timely and contextual exploration of Russia’s post-Soviet legacy of conflict management in the backdrop of its interaction with Europe’s system of security governance.

By exploring Russia’s approach from the early 1990s to the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s third presidential term, the book offers a comprehensive exploration into the evolution of Russian behaviour. The book investigates whether Russia’s approach has developed in accordance with the policies and practices of security governance that have emerged in the European ‘experience’ of conflict management. Together with extensive documentary analysis, the book employs the framework of security governance to examine Moscow’s behaviour across a set of case studies situated in the European political and security environment. It offers a timely contribution to our understanding of Russia’s response to intra-state conflict and its engagement with its contemporary security environment.