Deconstructing Russia’s bricolage tactics :Strategic insights for defeating the Kremlin

Russia employs ‘bricolage’ tactics to offset its structural weaknesses and adjust to the evolving nature of great power competition. Examples include its culture of military innovation or the operations of the Wagner Group and its successors. The metaphor of the bricoleur, or tinkerer, aptly conveys Russia’s resourcefulness and its frequent use of improvisational tactics that disrupt the established global order. This image complements and contrasts with more conventional depictions of the regime as a mafia, court or machine. Viewing Russia from this perspective high- lights its capacity for innovation and adaptation while shedding light on the regime’s intrinsic weaknesses. To counter Russia’s hybrid tactics, the EU should expose the regime’s internal contradictions, restrict access to sensitive technology used in its improvisational warfare in Ukraine, and bolster democratic resilience against the Kremlin’s malign influence.