The Russian Federation’s Involvement in Peace Missions After the Dissolution of the USSR

Until the 1970s, the USSR’s involvement in peacekeeping missions under the UN was moderate, mainly due to the confrontation with the United States, MICHAŁ ROMAŃCZUK writes. Only after the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation began to develop moderate international cooperation as part of the UN peacekeeping force during the Balkan crisis in 1991–1992. Later, after completing the mission in the Balkans at the beginning of the 21st century, the involvement of the Russian Federation in such missions began to decrease.
By sending so-called peace missions to post-Soviet areas, ROMAŃCZUK states, the Russian Federation strives to implement its own foreign policy priorities. “To this end, it uses instruments such as supporting politically and militarily regimes and states that support the Russian authorities. The aim of engaging the Russian peacekeeping forces in the post-Soviet area is to strive to maintain a dominant position in this area, which illustrates Russia’s actions interfering in the internal affairs of the countries located there.”
Although they are called peace forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), these contingents in fact mostly consist of Russian soldiers. “Often their actions go beyond the legal framework and favor one of the parties to the conflict.” In addition, the Russian Federation does not allow the introduction of branches under international auspices, fearing that it will not have control over them. Such actions are not conducive to the stabilization of crisis situations. The Russian Federation has often fueled conflicts between the warring parties in pursuit of their own vested interests, and participation in peace-keeping operations in post-Soviet countries was also seen as a way to gain political influence over this area.