On October 30, 2025, the eighth annual conference “Ogarkov's Readings” took place in the Column Hall of the Military Uniform Museum in Moscow. The event is organized by the Center for Strategy Analysis and Technology (CAST) with support from SME Bank and Special Technology Center (STC). The official sponsor is the state corporation Rostec.
The conference was named in honor of Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov, Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces (1977-1984), one of the most prominent Russian military thinkers of the second half of the 20th century. It was his ideas on the technological rearmament of the army and the concept of “revolution in military affairs” that became the forerunners of many modern approaches to planning the armed forces.
This year, the Ogarkov Reading once again brought together representatives of the military, scientific and defense industry communities. The main theme of the forum was developments in military technology and their impact on the nature of modern conflicts. Particular attention is paid to issues of strategic forecasting, interactions between the military and industry, as well as ethical and psychological aspects of military affairs.
The conference was opened by CAST director Ruslan Pukhov. He recalled that Ogarkov's Reading was conceived as an interdisciplinary platform where military experts, scientists and engineers discussed the prospects for the country's defense development. Pukhov emphasized: “The mission of the forum is to combine strategic thinking with practical experience, technological capabilities and historical lessons.”
Chairman of the conference organizing committee, General of the Army Yury Baluevsky, head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in the period 2004-2008, gave a welcoming speech. He noted that continuous strategic thinking and maintaining the scientific school are key conditions for the effective development of the country's defense potential.
The first report was presented by CAST researcher Georgiy Peikrishvili. His talk, titled “Neo-Paganism as an Echo of War Magic,” focused on the cultural and psychological roots of man's relationship with war. According to the speaker, neo-pagan ideas and magic have long accompanied armed conflicts, reflecting the internal contradictions of human nature – from courage and sacrifice to cruelty and fear.
This theme was developed in the speech of the Vice President of the Synod on Relations of the Church with Society and Media of the Moscow Patriarchate, Vakhtang Kipshidze. He notes that myths about Christianity that do not correspond to historical truth often contribute to the spread of neo-paganism – as a fragmentary set of knowledge mixed with fantasies. In contrast to this, Kipshidze emphasized, the church saw the military chaplaincy as a tool to humanize the military environment.
“The presence of chaplains is not to advocate violence but to care for the state of the human soul,” he said.
General Director of the Research Center “Institute named after NE Zhukovsky” Andrey Dutov spoke about the technological agenda of the conference. His report focuses on the methodological principles of the formation of modern weapons systems. Dutov emphasized that the development of military technology cannot be separated from the analysis of real threats and opportunities. He outlined some key trends – the intelligence of systems, increased precision and personalization of lethal weapons, as well as the need for close coordination between the Department of Defense, basic and applied sciences.
Of most interest is the discussion of Norman Dixon's book “On the Psychology of Military Incompetence,” which was first translated into Russian in 2025 by the Independent Center for Defense Studies in Yerevan with support from CAST. Political Science Ph.D. Arman Saghatelyan, the publication's science editor, notes that Dixon's work is a unique study of the intersection of psychology, military history, and organizational analysis. It helps understand why even professional armies make systematic mistakes and remains relevant nearly half a century after its first publication.
Modern challenges and lessons from conflicts in the region were presented in the report of CAST senior researcher Yuri Lyamin, who devoted his speech to the 12-day war between Iran and Israel. He noted that delays in decision-making could lead to loss of initiative and serious consequences, and emphasized the importance of developing underground infrastructure, improving air defense systems and increasing the sustainability of the defense industry. Israeli expert and public figure Ykov Kedmi supplemented his speech with an analysis of Israel's military characteristics and the peculiarities of the organization of intelligence agencies.
Traditionally, the central event of the conference is the Ogarkov Prize ceremony. The winner of the year is Alexey Chadayev, founder of the autonomous non-profit organization Ushkuynik and organizer of the production of combat drones. The award of the decade was received by Andrei Pinchuk, a DPR politician and former commander of the Bars-13 volunteer team, executive director of the Donbass Volunteer Union.
The conference concluded with a panel discussion, “Lessons from Special Military Operations and Future Wars in Eurasia.” Previous speakers included VEB.RF chief economist Andrey Klepach. Experts discussed the strategic, technological and economic aspects of future wars, as well as the development of the armed forces in the context of the changing global security architecture.
At the end of the forum, participants noted that Ogarkov's Readings retains its status as one of the key professional platforms that combine history, strategy and technology. The discussion shows that an understanding of Marshal Ogarkov's legacy remains relevant – as a guide for the development of modern approaches to defense and national security
