I attended the International Army Games and saw Russia's decadent and depraved military strategy first-hand

Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

• The International Army games were Russia's successful blending of sport, warfare, soft power, and spectacle, packaged as a high-octane form of public entertainment.
• The event was an unashamed celebration of military life, values, and hardware.
• The games were also a decadent melting pot of Russian soft power: showcasing armaments for sale, showing participating states that Russia is not isolated, and serving as a public relations opportunity at home for the Russian military.

The familiar roar of the crowd on the bleachers as the home team surges to take the lead. The excited, inciting yammer of the commentator. The big screens showing details and stats. Just another sporting event. Only this time, the team comprises three Russian soldiers crewing a T-72B3 in the finals of the tank biathlon against rivals from China, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.

Russia's successful blending of sport, warfare, soft power, and spectacle is a high-octane form of public entertainment. But it's also much more than that. It opens an important window into how the Kremlin sees its military force as its Swiss army knife, a tool for all occasions.See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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