Russia’s Changing Identity: In Search of a Role in the 21st Century

... other, Moscow takes a dim view of any sign of neutrality on the part of its nominal Belarusian ally. Several years before the strife in Ukraine, Georgia came into military conflict with Russia. Even as the former Soviet... ... provinces, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, seceded from Georgia. Tbilisi’s desire to join NATO, and official U.S. support for this intention, exacerbated tensions with Moscow... ... political-economic-military compact—a full-fledged Eurasian Union uniting most of the former USSR—turned out to be a failure. It is unlikely that a similar attempt would be undertaken...