Abstract
Moscow’s international assertiveness in the post-Soviet region, which included the invasion and dismembering of Georgia in 2008, and an entry “in force” in Eastern Ukraine and the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, made for a major shift in the relation between Russia and the West, particularly with both the EU and NATO—with many Western states enforcing sanctions in a coordinated manner. That shift was likewise felt in the Western Balkans, a region which, in spite of having a different strategic interest to Russia in comparison with its near abroad territories, has again become geopolitically relevant to the Kremlin’s interests. Russia’s presence and influence in the region has increased and is driven by two main goals: to drive away the Western Balkans countries from an apparently inevitable accession to the EU and NATO (the only exception here being perhaps Serbia) and simultaneously protect its energy interests in the region and in Europe. To achieve these goals and, therefore, influence the region, the Kremlin is making use of several instruments of “smart power”, which includes different actors (States, NGOs, Public and Private Companies) and different courses of action. Russian instruments of power have proved to be quite effective in the Western Balkans, by keeping Russia in the orbit of a rather disputed region and traditionally a source of tensions between European regional powers and the Americans, at a very low political and economic cost, the region being a stage of confrontation and accommodation between Moscow and the West, particularly with the EU.
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Cruz, M. (2021). Russia in the Western Balkans: Interests and Tools of Influence. In: Mölder, H., Sazonov, V., Chochia, A., Kerikmäe, T. (eds) The Russian Federation in Global Knowledge Warfare. Contributions to International Relations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73955-3_16
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