Three Centuries of Russian Influence in the Balkans

The result of a research project by the Balkan Historical Association, this landmark edited collection explores various aspects of Russian influence in the Balkan region over the past three centuries. The concepts of Pan-Slavism and the Slavic brotherhood are well established due to long-established historical, religious and cultural ties. But relations between the Balkan countries and Russia have never been static. In this context, the authors of this volume aim to address Russia’s changing interests in the Balkans, and the responses from Balkan countries and other Great Power competitors. Perhaps most importantly, what might this long and complex historical engagement mean for the future of the area and for possible conflicts to come? The volume, which is a project initiated by the Balkan History Association brings together an impressive range of disciplinary expertise to address these questions and many others, and will be of interest to all those engaged in historical research on South-East Europe.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Slavic Brotherhood and Pan-Slavism: What You See Depends on Where You Sit

PART I. The Russian Presence in the Balkans: Domains, Trends and Methods

Diverse Diplomacy: The Strengthening of Russian Influence in the Balkans (1820s–1830s), Katalin Schrek

Russia’s Shifting Dynamic Between Bulgaria and Serbia, Miloš Petrović

Russian Foreign Policy and Military Presence in Crete, 1897–1906, Georgios Limantzakis

A Shifting Coalition or Convenient Compromise: Romania and Russia in World War I, Hadrian Gorun

PART II. Russia’s Great Competitors in the Balkans

Tito and Anglo-Soviet Competition in the Balkans: Yugoslav Territorial Ambitions in Venezia Giulia, Chris Murray

Propaganda Competition in the Middle of Chaos: Russian and Austrian Narratives via Croatian News (1914–1920), Adrijan Štivić

A Waning and Waxing Stage: The Balkans as Performing Ground for Franco-Russian Relations, Kateřina Kočí and Marcela Hennlichová

Junior or Equal Partner? Chinese and Russian Engagement in the Balkans, Ion Marandici

PART III. Serbia as a Case Study for Russian Influence in the Balkans

Moving Away from the Kremlin Winds: Serbia as Critical Case Study on Russian Influence in the Balkans, Ana Jović-Lazić

A Complex Triangulation: Soviet–Yugoslav–Albanian Economic Relations (1945–1948), Božica Slavković Mirić

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Influence of Soviet and Yugoslav Intelligence Officers on Russian Émigrés in Yugoslavia (1944–1956), Željko Oset

Soviet-ish: The Unique History of Yugoslav Revisionism (1956–1961), József Juhász and Bálint Mezei

Notes on Editors and Contributors

Index

Matthew Crosston is Director for Academic Transformation at Bowie State University. His research interests are on Russian studies, terrorism and violent extremism, global and cyber security. His main publications are Shadow Separatism: Implications for Democratic Consolidation (2004) and Russia Reconsidered: Putin, Power, and Pragmatism (2018).

Mihaela Teodor is Senior Researcher in security studies and intelligence at the Romanian National Institute for Intelligence Studies and Editor-in-Chief of Romanian Intelligence Studies Review. Her academic interests include the history of propaganda and disinformation. She is coeditor of the volume Old and New Insights on the History of Intelligence and Diplomacy in the Balkans (Peter Lang, 2023).

Jordan Baev is a visiting professor in Intelligence History at Sofia University. Professor Baev has written more than 300 publications on diplomatic, military and intelligence history, international terrorism, peacekeeping, and civil-military relations. His most recent books are History of Bulgarian Military Intelligence (2019) and American Intelligence and Bulgaria (2021).

Bogdan Teodor is Associate Professor in security studies and intelligence studies at the Romanian National Intelligence Academy. His academic interests include the history of intelligence, hybrid threats and security studies. He is coeditor of the volume Old and New Insights on the History of Intelligence and Diplomacy in the Balkans (Peter Lang, 2023).