ABSTRACT
This chapter looks into the role of the military in Russian Great Power identity. It examines the importance of Great Power identity in the Russian context. Then, it analyses the role of historical military modernisations in terms of increasing Russia’s Great Power status. The chapter looks at post-Soviet times and how Russia has used its military to maintain, secure and develop its post-Soviet Great Power identity. It expresses that the Russian military has always played an important part in Russian state-building and nation-building, where greatpowerness has become an essential part of both state-building and nation-building as well as an integral part of Russian policymaking. Russian military modernisations have in most cases resulted in military victories and gaining more Great Power status. The global dimension of greatpowerness was only achieved through military intervention is Syria. The Kosovo case, even if reflecting Russia’s Great Power ambitions, left many doubting Russian military capabilities and, the Russian ability to be a global Great Power.
