
Russia’s Black Sea strategy is key to understanding the war in Ukraine. See how.
From Russia’s 2008 war in Georgia to its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Black Sea region has been key to Putin’s efforts to restore Russian power and influence after the fall of the Soviet Union. RUSI’s Dr Neil Melvin explains why the Black Sea is so strategically important to Russia.