Stabilising Instability: Russia-Backed Separatism After the Outbreak of the Ukraine War

• DossierEurope and Global Governance · Russia Caucasus and Central Asia
  by Eleonora Tafuro Ambrosetti and Mattia Massoletti

Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation has strived to reassert its influence in the post-soviet space. To this end, the Kremlin has not only nurtured separatism among Russian-speaking minorities in former USSR countries but has also provided breakaway regions both with military and financial support. While the Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk may be the most well-known examples, they are far from being the only cases. For years, Russia has indeed impelled separatism in Georgia's Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia, as well as in Moldova's Transnistria. Although the Kremlin's shadow still looms over these regions, it is not clear to what extent Russia-backed separatism has been affected by the Ukraine war.

Spanning across various case-studies and topics, this ISPI Dossier aims to shed some clarity on several crucial questions about the future of Russia-backed de facto territories. How has the Ukraine war impacted the Kremlin's ability and willingness to fund de facto governments? What are the prospects for Georgia's secessionist Abkhazia and South Ossetia? How concrete are Transnistria's aspirations to rejoin Russia?