Has russia invaded 19 countries in the last 100 years?
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Executive summary
Claims that “Russia has invaded 19 countries in the last 100 years” are not directly confirmed by the available sources; reporting and scholarly lists document many Soviet and Russian interventions and invasions across the 20th and 21st centuries, with authors and databases listing dozens of interventions (RAND counts 25 interventions since 1991; other chroniclers document 44 Soviet interventions since 1945 or longer compiled lists) [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not present a single authoritative checklist that totals exactly 19 countries in the past century (not found in current reporting).
1. What the question is really asking — “invasion” vs. “intervention”
Observers and scholars distinguish invasions, occupations and interventions; RAND’s study treats “interventions” broadly and counts 25 Russian interventions since 1991, not a simple tally of sovereign states invaded, while historical surveys catalog dozens of Soviet-era operations across Europe, Asia and beyond [2] [4] [3]. That definitional gap matters: a covert operation, support for separatists, a short cross-border incursion, a prolonged occupation or formal annexation are often categorized differently across sources [5].
2. Sources that document many cases, not a neat “19”
Comprehensive lists and journalistic maps compiled since 2014-2025 show numerous episodes in which Russia or the Soviet Union used military force abroad — examples range from the Soviet invasions of Azerbaijan and Armenia in 1920 through Afghanistan , interventions in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, the 2008 Georgia war, Syria (2015 onward), Crimea and the 2022 full‑scale invasion of Ukraine [6] [3] [7] [8]. Independent compilers and journalists have produced maps and books listing dozens of “invasions” or “colonial crimes,” with one Ukrainian journalist’s project documenting up to 48 recent incursions in a long timeframe — again, not a single, peer‑reviewed count of exactly 19 countries [9] [10].
3. Scholarly tallies focus on patterns and drivers, not precise country counts
Analyses by RAND and other academic outlets emphasize patterns — why Russia intervenes, where it concentrates force, and how frequently — rather than producing one definitive count of countries invaded in 100 years. RAND explicitly analyzed 25 interventions since 1991 and argues Russia used military force repeatedly in its neighbourhood and beyond [2] [4]. A 1986 review counted 44 Soviet interventions since 1945, illustrating that scholars document far more than 19 episodes when broadening the definition [3].
4. Discrepancies arise from timeframe, definition and source bias
Variation in any claimed number — 19, 25, 44, 48 — comes from choices about start/end dates (Russian Empire, Soviet Union, Russian Federation), what counts as an “invasion” (overt invasion, covert intervention, peacekeeping, proxy war), and political perspective. Pro‑Russian narratives sometimes frame actions as “peacekeeping” or “protection of compatriots,” while critics and many Western sources label the same acts as invasions or occupations [7] [5]. Independent lists (news sites, activist maps) often include smaller or disputed operations that formal diplomatic sources may not treat as invasions [11] [9].
5. What the available sources support — caution, not a single number
Available reporting and scholarship clearly support that the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation used military force in many countries across the last century; multiple credible projects and studies document dozens of such episodes, but none of the provided sources asserts an authoritative figure of exactly 19 countries invaded in the last 100 years (not found in current reporting). The best-supported claims in the sources are: RAND’s count of 25 interventions since 1991 and historic counts of many Soviet interventions since 1945 [2] [3].
6. How to verify a tight number if you need one
To produce a defensible list you must: pick explicit start/end years; adopt a clear definition of “invasion” (e.g., UN recognition, sustained foreign troop presence, formal annexation); and then cross-check national case studies (Soviet Azerbaijan/Armenia/Afghanistan; Finnish Winter War; Hungary 1956; Czechoslovakia 1968; Afghanistan 1979; Georgia 2008; Ukraine 2014–2022; Syria 2015, etc.) against diplomatic and academic sources [6] [3] [7]. Available sources provide many of those case studies but do not assemble a 100‑year list that yields the single figure “19” (not found in current reporting).
Limitations: this article uses only the supplied sources and therefore cannot incorporate other databases or primary archival materials that might produce a different, defensible count (limitation noted). Readers should expect different totals depending on definitions and scholarly perspective; competing sources in the set present counts from the mid‑20s to dozens of interventions [2] [3] [9].