Russia in the Balkans in the 21st century: conflicts, activities and perspectives
Journal: Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Sklodowska sectio M Balcaniensis et Carpathiensis
Year: 2024

Following the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, six newly independent countries sought European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The advantageous geographical position and geopolitical importance of the region as a borderland between East and West gained international attention during the Balkan wars. In this period Russia started to consider the region with more interest, relying on its historical, ideational, religious and political ties with the cou