The Issue of the Zangezur Corridor: International contradictions and Israeli Interests

The Zangezur corridor is a proposed route that would link the main part of Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan enclave through Armenian territory. Azerbaijan and Turkey support the project, but Armenia opposes it, fearing it might change the region’s borders. Iran views the corridor as a possible threat to its influence in the region.

Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia: Friendship Between Russia and Hamas Through the Prism of Russian Militarists

To position itself in the Muslim world, Russia needs to openly sympathize with the Palestinians, and close relations with Iran in the energy and military sectors make close ties with Israel difficult.

Recent Cracks in Russian-Iranian Relations

Despite their disagreements, Russia and Iran currently have more reasons to cooperate than not. For one, both are waging wars against the West whether directly or through proxies. If either one of those conflicts were to be solved, then the West’s attention could be focused solely on the other.

Chechnya is the Only True Constituent Entity of the Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is a federation in name only. At the initiative of President Vladimir Putin, in December 2004, the Russian Federation adopted a law abolishing the direct election of regional governors. Since then, their candidacies were proposed by Vladimir Putin and formally approved by the legislative bodies of the respective “entities”. In April 2013, during the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev, similar legislative amendments were introduced for “ethnic constituent entities of the federation,” primarily republics. In July 2018, at the initiative of returning President Vladimir Putin, federal legislation was amended to abolish the compulsory study of local languages that are nominally “state” languages in “ethnic constituent entities of the federation”. At the beginning of 2020an amendment was made to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, according to which “The Russian language shall be the State language on the entire territory of the Russian Federation as the language of the state-forming nation”. Thus, the fact that the Russian Federation sees itself not as a federation of peoples and regions, but as a unitary Russian nation-state was put into law.

Mainstreaming the Problem of Ukrainian Ethnic Territories in Russia

The Ukrainian media’s intensified discussion of the topic of historically Ukrainian ethnic territories that are part of the Russian Federation creates the impression that public opinion is being prepared for Ukraine’s territorial claims against Russia.

BESA Post-Soviet Conflicts Research Digest No. 11 (August 2024)

In August 2024, the PSCRP analysis revolved mostly around the issues of Russia’s internal and external politics.

Putin’s Visit to Azerbaijan: A Desperate Show of “Business as Usual”

Russian authorities have found themselves needing to prove domestically that Moscow still holds the same clout in its traditional sphere of influence against the backdrop of the ongoing Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region of Russia.

Mahmoud Abbas’ Visit to Moscow: Who Needs Him There and Why?

Moscow’s stand in the current sprawling regional military conflict in the Middle East is, at the very least, political and diplomatic support for the Arab proxies of Iran, while at the same time positioning itself as the patron of the still symbolically significant for the Arab-Islamic world “Palestinian Arab cause” as a whole.

Will Russia Support Iran If It Conducts a Full-Scale Attack on Israel?

The answer to the question “Will Russia Support Iran?” will be, yes, but this support will be very limited and mostly political. It will be also an instrument for improving Kremlin’s position in Russian-Ukrainan conflict.

Kaliningrad — Russia’s Exclave in Europe

A significant part of the Russian-speaking population, numerically dominant in the Kaliningrad region, has also formed its own local-patriotic narrative. This narrative is based on an attempt to appropriate the pre-Russian history of the region.