Russia's Armed Forces have long played a significant role in foreign policy. Depending on the military's willingness and ability to influence foreign policy, its part has shifted between three ideal-type roles: the loyal Servant of the political leadership; the independent Shaper of foreign affairs; and the Sinker, unable or unwilling to contribute to Russia's international relations. Under Vladimir Putin, the military has become a prominent player in foreign affairs. This report provides an overview of the way the Civil-Military Relations literature and complementary sources describe the role the Armed Forces have had since 2000, when Putin assumed power. It proposes an analytical tool, based on the three ideal-type roles and on findings from Civil-Military Relations literature regarding Soviet and Imperial Russia. The military has evolved from a Shaper of foreign policy under Boris Yeltsin, to a Servant under the later Putin. Thus, Russia's use of military force towards other states reflects the intentional will of the political leadership. However, the current strong political control over the military is not necessarily a stable condition. In the event of large-scale sociodemographic stress in Russian society, we can expect the military to assume the role of a strong Shaper of foreign policy.