Studying the interplay between ideology and politics in Russian governance, from the former USSR to contemporary Russia, this book examines why, despite the prohibition of state ideology in the 1993 Russian Constitution, Russian hawks endured beyond the 1991 regime change and have risen to political prominence as the chief ideologues of Russia's confrontation against the West. Departing from realist and constructivist explanations of foreign policy focused on Vladimir Putin, Juliette Faure highlights the influence of elite groups with diverse strategic cultures and reveals how, even under authoritarian rule, a competitive space exists where rival elites contest their visions of national interests. Demonstrating the regime's strategic use of ideological ambiguity to maintain policy flexibility, Faure offers a fresh lens on the domestic factors that have played into the Russian regime's decision to wage war against Ukraine and their implications for international security, regional stability and the global balance of power.