Black Sea: Militarization, Frozen Conflicts and Hybrid Warfare

The main goal of the project is to shed light on how Russia defines its objectives in the Black Sea region, what instruments of power are used by Russia to project its power and pursue its strategic objectives in this region.

The focus is on the impact of Russian militarization in the region, Russia’s role in frozen conflicts as well as Russia’s use of hybrid instruments of power in this geographical context that has received renewed attention after Russia decided to launch a full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022. Although this project focuses on Russia’s objectives and practices in the Black Sea region, its findings are highly relevant as they complement other studies examining Russia’s strategic behaviour in other areas and regions, including in the High North.

Its realization provides therefore not only a more nuanced and complete picture of how Russia defines its strategic objectives and what instruments of power are deployed by Russia in the region but is also relevant for national and international policymakers who must respond to both old and new security challenges emerging in the region and in the broader European and trans-Atlantic context.