The «compatriots Abroad» Factor in the Formation on Post-Soviet Russia’s Expansionist Policy

This article examines the concept of «compatriots abroad» in the context of Russian foreign policy from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the onset of military aggression against Ukraine in 2014. It traces the transformation of the term from its initial articulation in the early 1990s – as a framework for engaging the Russian diaspora through mechanisms of soft power – into a confrontational instrument within the Kremlin’s broader expansionist foreign policy paradigm. The analysis underscores that, in the early post-Soviet period, Russian authorities primarily employed the issue of «compatriots abroad» for domestic political purposes. Beginning in the 2000s, however, with Vladimir Putin’s ascent to power and the intensification of Russia’s geopolitical ambitions, the concept evolved into a strategic tool for consolidating influence within the internal political spaces of post-Soviet states. The study further argues that the notion of «compatriots abroad» was intended to serve as a unifying link between the former imperial center – Russia – and its newly independent peripheries – the sovereign post-Soviet republics. By cultivating a strategic presence in neighboring countries, Russia aimed to exploit the existence of significant, loyal Russianspeaking minorities to facilitate its geopolitical objectives. The rhetoric surrounding the protection of «compatriots abroad» was instrumentalized by the Russian political elite to legitimize the initiation of hostilities against Ukraine in 2014. The article concludes that the Russian leadership failed to articulate a consistent ideological framework for conceptualizing the diaspora, as its interpretation varied significantly across different political contexts and temporal periods.