In Moscow's Shadows 237: How A 1552 Siege Explains A 2022 Invasion

About this episode

The episode explores the lessons of warfare and logistics from the 1552 siege of Kazan and their relevance to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A frozen river swallows cannons in 1550; a traffic jam of armour stalls outside Kyiv in 2022. Different centuries, same lesson: wars are won by planning, logistics, and the courage to listen to people who know what they’re doing. Ivan the Terrible took Kazan in 1552, learning crucial lessons of warfare and statecraft that Putin the Not So Great neglected when invading Ukraine in 2022. Spinning off my new book, Siege of Kazan 1552: Ivan the Terrible breaks the Kazan khanate (Osprey), I look at...

People in this episode

Host: Mark Galeotti

Topics covered

• warfare
• logistics
• history
• statecraft
• planning
• invasion

Keywords

• Kazan
• Ivan the Terrible
• Putin
• logistics
• warfare
• invasion
• history
• statecraft

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Osprey

Books & works: Siege of Kazan 1552: Ivan the Terrible breaks the Kazan khanate

Places: Kazan, Ukraine

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