The Impact of the Russian Federation on the States of Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

Purpose: This article presents the results of research that set out to identify and characterise the model of strategic impact of the Russian Federation on the states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and its consequences for security. Design/Methodology/Approach: In the research process historical, case study and systemic approach was used. The praxeological interpretation of the main research problem was included in the process of recognition, identification and characterization of instruments, forms and methods of strategic impact and their effects on security. The theoretical framework on which this article was based is embedded in the essence of political war presented by George F. Kennan. Findings: The article describes the evolution of Russian strategic thinking about international competition and presents the contemporary conditions for achieving political goals. It is explained that the challenges to Central and Eastern Europe are a direct consequence of the operationalization of policy, and the strategy is expressed in the concept of new generation of war. It has been established that the Russian Federation achieves its own strategic objectives using the so-called soft influence, avoiding direct military confrontation. The threats to the states of Central and Eastern Europe is a consequence of the pressure and use of aggression through all instruments held by the Russian Federation. The forms and methods of influence have a non-kinetic dimension, but they are not limited to the non-military sphere. Practical Implications: The results of the research have utilitarian values, as they allow to identify threats created by the Russian Federation. On this basis it is possible to take measures to counter the threats and limit their consequences. Originality/value: The evaluation of the operationalization of the new generation of war applied by the Russian Federation in the conducting of international competition through the prism of the theory of political warfare allowed to obtain original research results.