This book was so timely. I think as Americans, we struggle to understand that geopolitical consequences of Russia's actions because we remain largely unaffected. This was such an important read and I learned a lot.

This book answers just about all the questions anyone outside Russia would ask. The mentality of the Russian ruling classes from whatever period in the last 250 years has patently not changed whether Imperial or Communist. This book tells in simple language how Russia/Soviet Union has maintained its approach to its existence in the world, ignores protests and sanctions from the western world and eventually gets its way. It is the way that western leaders have consistently chosen not to recognise this pattern of behaviour is beyond belief and it would appear to be passed from leader to leader without analysis.
This book should be mandatory reading for anyone who either wonders what is going on today in the Ukraine or wants to question past Russian actions in history.

When I started reading "Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You", I thought “I know all of this.”, as I considered myself relatively informed on the subject. However, I am so glad that I continued to read this fascinating, but troubling book. There is so much I was totally unaware of!

British author Keir Giles explains how Russia uses its military, espionage, media, cyber, organized crime, and other methods to accomplish their objectives. In addition to extensive research, he interviewed nearly forty people throughout the world. Among them were professors, diplomats, military officers and soldiers, and cybersecurity experts. They relate their accounts of Russia’s campaign against the West.

In addition to well-publicized attacks, he has included those relatively unknown to Americans, as they have occurred in numerous countries, such as the UK, Sweden, Finland, Australia, and Estonia. He has provided specific examples of electronic warfare, murder, sabotage, intimidation, identity theft, and disinformation. He explains Russia’s role in Brexit and how Russia exploits weaknesses and vulnerabilities in Western countries. Their attacks extend further than traditional targets.

Giles teaches us the history of the government mindset, which traces back to the Russian Empire. Will Russia’s actions change after Putin?

There is a lot of detail in this book, but it is necessary to educate us on the dangers, as well as to convince the naysayers. Which countries have fared better in protecting themselves against Russian influence? How do they continue to accomplish that?

So, what can we and our governments do to protect us against Russian influence? How can we contain Russia within its own borders?

So, if the Russian threat is not on your radar, it should be. If you are not even concerned, after reading "Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You", you will be!

Why a book about Russia and its war on the world? How does it affect us? The author has collected information that is about waging a secret war against the West for years. There are hostile acts in countries throughout the world. They have interfered in elections, done murder, hacking which appears to be the Kremlin’s daily business. Why does Russia do this? Russia does it for more power and influence which means not just governments but people. The author brings stories from the military, diplomacy, politics, cyber power and organized crime plus more. Russia’s hostile intentions for the rest of the world are far broader and pervasive and damaging than we are aware of.

It’s a scary book to think that Russia has been doing the things they do to win. It’s a book that will make you think and if nothing else wonder about Russia. It’s a book that needs to be read by everyone.

Keir Giles is an expert on issues inflicting Russia and this book really shows it.

Firstly this is a succinct publication about everything you could possibly need and want to know about Russia’s war with Ukraine and its historical links. The fact that this book was going to be published before the war began just shows how predictable it was.

Secondly, how the publication is laid out makes it a great reference for historians and educators that want to know more. Splitting up the history with sociological links: what makes Russia different?; Politics: warfare by other means; neither war nor peace etc

This publication is very much a reference piece unless you are able to read a political publication in a night- I found it hard to continue to read for hours.

A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ great reference and links to modern affairs. Although sometimes I felt like I was reading a political rant.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Academic and Keir Giles for this advanced copy to read and review

Have you ever wondered why Russia is always trying to invade other countries, interfere with other governments, or kills people who speak out against it? This book will answer so many of your questions and give you a better understanding of what is going on behind that curtain, I learned a lot from this book, and it's told in a very compelling manner.

Kier Giles is the director of the Conflict Studies Research Center and has spent his career studying Russia. He knows from experience that Russia has waged a clandestine war against the West for decades and that the conciliatory policies of the NATO countries has embolden it to take a more. aggressive position. The book was completed in October 2021 but had to be totally rewritten after the invasion of Ukraine. The book details his thesis that the kremlin plays by a different set of rules than the rest of the world. Russia uses every tactic available to subvert western countries and promote its own interests.
The author notes that Russia’s destructive activity is driven by its status anxiety. Russia considers itself a superpower but believes that the West fails to grant it the respect it deserves. It therefore takes aggressive positions in every arena, often to bring havoc rather than to promote its interests. In diplomatic relations, it plays games with the wording of treaties. The author quotes James Sherr who states”The Russians are the neighbors from hell. If you finally conclude a written agreement that they will stop parking their car on your lawn, don’t be surprised if they park their truck there instead. “ analysts of Russia follow the truism: “Never believe anything until the kremlin denies it. “
The book is detailed and carefully documented and footnoted. It is an eye opening look at what Reagan called “The Evil Empire.”
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you want to understand how on Earth it is possible that we have a regular, brutal war raging for almost a year in Europe and you have time to read only one book, choose this one. If you’ve read tons of books about geopolitics and Russia, don’t miss it either – it is fresh, eye-opening, and worth reading no matter what your current state of knowledge is.

These are not purely theoretical considerations – the author doesn’t rely only on his own, though impressive enough, experience but quotes numerous ‘Russia-watchers”, from leading politicians and diplomats to military and intelligence officers to experts from think tanks and academia. Every argument is supported by real-life examples and the countless footnotes are a treasure trove for anyone researching this topic.

Plus, it is so well written that I couldn’t put it down. I wish everyone could read it and finally, the attitudes towards Russia could change, so there will be no more such calamities as the despicable war in Ukraine.

Many thanks to the publisher, Bloomsbury Academic, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Keir Giles hates Russia and wants everyone to know it. Yet, in his blind rush to pump out the next headline driven book on the topic, he certainly defined himself, in my mind at least, as a "clickbait scholar". His bias is evident, strong, but not as strong as I expected. There is some good knowledge here with fresh takes and insightful interviews, but overall I found it was a bit disorganized, repetitive, and lacking in full scope of WHY Russia is this way. As I periodically scanned the references used at the bottom of the page, I saw nothing but major media sites from current events. There is no counter narrative of dissidents or historical trauma from past invasions (Hitler, Napoleon, the Mongols). It's just a 200+ page rampage of fearmongering without empathy. Russia is not North Korea, despite what the author may lead the reader to believe. Overall this was a good effort, but lacked a full understanding and perspective of cause and effect.

An advance copy was provided kindly by the publisher upon request via NetGalley.com

This is an amazing book about how Russia thinks about the rest of the world and why it acts the way it does. A lot of the book is frightening and very sad but it is better to know what motivates them and not be surprise by it. I always thought the Russians were fascinating people and that they have endured much hardship in their history and this book points out how different they see the world.
If you read this book be brave, there are a lot of scary stuff in this book but it's worth reading.

I want to thank Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book

I just finished read this book.
It’s explained why Russia started the war in Ukraine. Historically behavior of Russia lays of century ego….
Author give us very detailed different bad, arrogant situations abroad and inside the Russia .
It’s give me better understanding position Russian government towards other countries….
Thanks for allowing me to read the book…

Russia's War on Everybody
By Keir Giles

This is an in-depth look at the Russian psyche – and the history behind the paranoia that shapes Russian policy and belief systems as regards Russia's outlook concerning the rest of the world. It is an enlightening read and helps the western reader understand why the Russian Bear is constantly in a state of aggression with all the countries it sees as enemies.

It is also a somewhat scary look at just how different the Russian mentality is when compared to western nations. If we fail to comprehend the

I expect to see a flurry of one and two star reviews for this book from Putin's army of monkeys with typewriters. Ignore them. This book is written by Keir Giles, who is a Senior Consulting Fellow for the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. He speaks with authority on the topic of Russia's world-view and goals and the risks we all are facing because we don't take the malevolence of the Russian Federation seriously enough.

Giles shows how Russia uses the west's openness, innate decency and democracy as a tools to destroy those very things. Russia's antipathy to the west is all encompassing, as is Putin's ruthlessness. No enemy is too small to destroy, nor too big. This book will shock and inform you. I urge you to read it.

If you think the current war is just about Ukraine, you need to read this book.
If you think the road to peace is negotiation, you need to read this book.

Not sure what I was expecting from this volume as the title is hyperbolic enough to either reinforce what some believe or be offensive to others. There's a lot to say about Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union and, more specifically, about the direction Vladimir Putin and those around him have steered Russia over the past two decades. The majority of literature devoted to the subject or Russia and/or Putin fall into one of three categories with some gray between them: either they attack Russia/Putin, they defend Russia/Putin and place the blame on the West, or they attempt an objective middle ground that shows the larger context of how the situation we are presently facing with the war in Ukraine has developed. 'Russia's War on Everybody' fits into the first of those categories. The best one can say is that there's a lot of interesting information but it's simply not contextualized well enough for the general reading public. Thus the takeaway for readers is limited unless they want their opinions reinforced, and at the end of the day there are many titles that will do a better job of discussing Russia's history and present by historians and political scientists who are established names in the field.