Russia’s military has been shaped by centuries of history, revolution, world wars, political leadership, and changing military technology.
Near Peer: Russia | Understanding the Russian Military examines the historical influences, doctrine, and modernization of Russia’s armed forces.
Created by 29 Pixel Studios as part of our work supporting Army University Press, the documentary features military subject matter experts discussing Russian history, current affairs at the time of production, military doctrine, and the strategic thinking behind Russia’s armed forces.
Watch the documentary:
Understanding Russian Military History
To understand Russia’s modern military, it helps to understand the history that shaped it.
The documentary explores Russia’s military development through the Soviet era and beyond, examining how political leadership, historical events, and military traditions have influenced Russian military institutions.
These historical influences provide context for the country’s military doctrine, organization, and strategic priorities.
The Legacy of the Great Patriotic War
One of the documentary’s subjects is Russia’s remembrance of the Great Patriotic War, the term commonly used in Russia to describe the Soviet Union’s struggle against Nazi Germany during World War II.
The war occupies a significant place in Russian national memory and military tradition.
Near Peer: Russia examines this historical legacy and its place in Russian military identity and strategic thinking.
Understanding how a country remembers its military history can offer insight into how its armed forces view their role and responsibilities.
Russian Military Doctrine and Strategy
Military doctrine provides a framework for how armed forces prepare for and conduct operations.
The documentary examines Russian military doctrine and the strategic priorities influencing the development of Russia’s armed forces.
Subject matter experts discuss Russian military thinking alongside political declarations and broader security considerations.
The film also addresses statements by Vladimir Putin, providing context for understanding Russia’s stated military and strategic priorities during the documentary’s production period.
Russian Military Modernization
Modern military capabilities depend on more than weapons and equipment.
They also require training, organization, command structures, logistics, communications, and the ability to coordinate forces across different types of operations.
Near Peer: Russia examines advances in Russian military technology and modernization, placing those developments within the country’s broader military history and doctrine.
Historical context: The documentary was produced in 2023 and reflects the information and analysis available during that period. It should not be treated as a comprehensive assessment of Russian military capabilities or the war in Ukraine as of 2026.
Understanding Russia Before Examining the War in Ukraine
This documentary is the third release in our Global Military Powers collection.
The next film, Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Year One, shifts from a broad examination of Russian military history and doctrine to a focused overview of significant events during the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The two documentaries approach related subjects from different perspectives.
Near Peer: Russia provides historical and doctrinal context.
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Year One examines selected events from an ongoing conflict during a specific period.
Together, they offer viewers two distinct ways to study Russian military affairs.
Explore the Global Military Powers collection:
Creating Near Peer: Russia
29 Pixel Studios helped create Near Peer: Russia | Understanding the Russian Military as part of our work supporting the U.S. Army’s Army University Press.
Our relationship with Army University Press began in 2018. Since then, our team has helped create more than 50 films exploring military history, leadership, doctrine, and the experiences of soldiers.
These productions bring together documentary interviews, historical research, archival material, motion graphics, animation, and visual storytelling to help explain complex military subjects.
We’re proud to make Near Peer: Russia available again through the 29 Pixel Studios YouTube channel.
Watch Near Peer: Russia | Understanding the Russian Military
Watch the complete documentary:
Original Army University Press release:
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/887695/near-peer-russia-understanding-russian-military
Have a story worth telling? Let’s make something.
29 Pixel Studios is an independent creative production company. This website and our YouTube channel are not official U.S. Army or Department of War properties.
The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.