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.
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