Russian and Soviet Logistics from 1700 to the Present Day

This chapter examines Russian and Soviet logistical provision to its forces from the 18th century through to the present, arguing that Russian and Soviet logistical provision has developed in a particular set of circumstances that has given them a specific nature. The author argues that in Russia's case, the very large size of the country, coupled with limited access to water-borne transport, led the military establishment to tend towards prizing mobility and the delivery of combat power in the short-term over sustainability – a tendency apparent in the early phases of the ‘Special Military Operation’ in Ukraine.