Russia under Putin in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Soviet Legacy, Flexibility, and New Dynamics

Abstract Russia has become an important player in the Eastern Mediterranean during the presidency of Vladimir Putin, setting up a military presence in the Crimea, South Caucasus, Syria as well as naval facilities in the Mediterranean. Moscow deepened its bilateral relations with NATO members Greece, France and particularly Turkey and has been able to profit from the new dynamics that have emerged in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. Russian policy towards the Eastern Mediterranean has been based on large-scale flexibility and its ability to combine elements of soft and hard power. Dependent on Russian grain and tourists and eager to cooperate with Moscow militarily, most non-EU countries of the Eastern Mediterranean have refused to institute anti-Russian sanctions of the sort imposed by the EU after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.