The article attempts to explain, why adoption of the Baltic Sea Region Strategy of the European Union has not provoked a discussion in Russia despite the fact that the strategy touches Russia directly. From the author’s perspective, the explanation is four-fold. First, the Baltic Sea Region has never been an area of vital interest to the Russian Federation. Second, the EU Baltic Sea Strategy resembles a decade-old Northern Dimension. Third, the targets outlined in the strategy can be achieved without Russian participation. Fourth, the strategy is based on the assumption that the European Union is a major actor in the Baltic Sea Region, whilst Russian foreign policy discourse sees it differently.