The EU Danube Strategy as an Element of Geopolitical Enclosure from Russia

In the current geopolitical competition between the EU and the Russian Federation subregional cases are not always visible. At the same time, they play an important role both in shaping the future architecture of international relations in Europe and in understanding the common logic of the EU’s actions. One of such cases is the intention clearly articulated by Brussels of turning the Danube into an “internal river” of the EU. The article examines the Danube Strategy of the EU through the prism of the classical theory of realism based on a historical and comparative approach from a geopolitical perspective. The article substantiates the continuity and place of management of the Danube in the general logic of the development of relations between Russia and its European partners/competitors. It is examined in detail how the Danube management system is shifted from the organization of multilateral cooperation – the Danube Commission – to the internal management mechanisms of the EU. It is concluded that the EU Danube Strategy is not only complementary to the Green Deal and the strategy for the development of pan-European transport corridors, but also to the EU’s militarization policy as a whole. However, looking back, it can be stated that the periods of Russia’s absence from the Danube were never long, but have always been associated with increasing tension and the emergence of new lines of sub-regional confrontation, while the transformation of the Danube into a kind of a “bridge” of Europe has always brought obvious benefits to both the coastal states and the stability of the European architecture of international relations as a whole.