Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the foreign and security policy of the Russian Federation

For the last three decades, Abkhazia and South Ossetia have been functioning as de facto states that unilaterally declared independence from Georgia. To this day, both have received substantial support from the Russian Federation. The article analyses the foreign and security policy of the Russian Federation towards Abkhazia and South Ossetia, based on the policy concepts of Russia and policy views of the most popular political parties on the basis of their electoral programs for the 2021 parliamentary elections. Whilst there was no clear strategy towards these entities in the 1990s, strategic significance was attributed to them after granting Abkhazia and South Ossetia recognition. Even though there is no clear consensus among political parties in Russia regarding the future status of these entities, it is very likely that the status quo will be the preferred choice over the next years.