Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caspian Sea and South Caucasus have
become the focus of considerable international attention, primarily because it is
one of the oldest and potentially richest oil and gas producing areas in the world.
The August 2008 Russian invasion of the Georgia and the unilateral recognition
of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia fundamentally changed the
situation in the region. The war has created a new strategic situation. The South
Caucasus is a boiling pot of various faiths, ethnicities, historical memories and
political orientations, has traditionally been subject to strong, often overwhelming
external pressures. The South Caucasus continues to be a conflict-ridden part of the
Russia’s neighbourhood, the biggest risk of war being a renewed and expanded war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. Of the three regional external powers –Russia, Turkey and Iran –only Russia has military bases in the South Caucasus region and is the only one seemingly ready to act militarily. Russia currently appears satisfied with the status quo in the South Caucasus. The growing convergence of interests of the three external regional powers in Syria and the Middle East affects the South Caucasus as well. For all three, the Middle East is more important in the short run, which means that they are all interested in keeping the South Caucasus as stable and predictable as possible. The question is, what is Russia’s approach and strategy towards the security of the South Caucasus? Moscow’s approach to the South Caucasus in the security sphere also includes using local conflicts to keep the states concerned in a constant state of Russia-controlled instability. All this illustrates how Russia operations nsa sphere of interest in the Caucasus. The region is seen as Russia’s backyard and seeks to maintain security in the South Caucasus to counter the presence of regional and trans-regional powers, including the United States and NATO, the monopoly of European energy and the fight against terrorist groups. It also demonstrated the need for broader security guarantees for a region that is vital to European and global energy security. This article deals with the conflicts in the South Caucasus region, Russia’s security strategy in this important region, and its implications for regional security.