The Balkan direction of Russian foreign policy: history and modernity

The author examines the role of the Balkans in Russian foreign policy. Using the method of historical analysis the author comes to the conclusion that the interest of the Russian state in the region develops cyclically. The article examines the attempts to dismember the Ottoman Empire and the reasons for the sharp reduction of influence in the region of the USSR, both in the pre-war and post-war period. The author notes the absence of the countries of the Balkan region in the policy documents, which emphasizes Russia's disinterest in the region. The conclusion of the article gives the forecast for the further development of relations between the Russian Federation and the Balkan states, and it also presents the long-term trend of reducing Russia's influence, which began in 1878 (the end of the Russo-Turkish war and the Berlin Congress) in the region, as well as the strengthening of the role of Western states especially the United States.