Russia’s Strategy of Outsuffering and the War in Ukraine

Abstract

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but it has failed to attain its political and military objectives. Since then, Russia has doubled down on its war effort. This article claims that Russia’s decision to continue the war despite initial setbacks and a high number of casualties is the result of using the strategy of ‘outsuffering’ its adversaries. This article explains the origins and instrumentalization of this strategy by Vladimir Putin, as well as its implications for Russia’s war in Ukraine, Russia’s foreign policy more generally, and Russia’s domestic politics. The article concludes that although insensitivity to costs can be an important advantage when states pursue confrontational foreign policy strategies, Russia’s attempts to outsuffer its adversaries in a war of attrition raise questions about the viability of this strategy. Thus, the strategy’s ominous promise for Russia is suffering without end.