Russia’s instrumentalisation of ethnic identity through the lens of strategic culture

dc.abstract.en	This thesis examines a phenomenon of Russian strategic behavior that has persisted across centuries, yet has acquired new relevance in the 21st century: the instrumentalization of ethnicity to pursue national interests and achieve foreign policy objectives. The collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the 20th century resulted in large Russian ethnic and linguistic populations leaving Moscow’s direct administration. However, the post-Soviet region in which these communities reside has become the strategic focus of the USSR’s direct successor, the Russian Federation. To better understand why ethnicity has become such a boon to the Russian Federation’s goals in the post-Soviet region, this thesis adopts a theoretical framework that combines the structural theory of Offensive Realism (the ‘why’) and strategic culture (the ‘how’). Given that Offensive Realism provides a satisfactory explanation for why the Russian Federation pursues strategic gains in the post-Soviet region, it becomes necessary to examine why ethnicity, in particular, is an instrument that Russian decision-makers seek to leverage. The concept of strategic culture provides the intellectual framework for answering the central research questions of this thesis. After reviewing extensive strategic culture literature, three central determinants are identified: historical experience, institutions, and Ideology. Each of these determinants comprises the empirical chapters of this work. By examining how each of these determinants has contributed to shaping Russian perceptions and approaches to ethnicity, this thesis seeks to shed light on why the Russian Federation engages in patterns of strategic behavior that transform the demographic realities of ethnic identity into strategic benefits that aid in maintaining and expanding the state's influence in the post-Soviet region.
dc.affiliation	Uniwersytet Warszawski
dc.affiliation.department	Wydział Nauk Politycznych i Studiów Międzynarodowych
dc.contributor.author	Dolly-Pirrie, Orion
dc.contributor.promoter	Aryal, Saroj Kumar
dc.contributor.reviewer	Aryal, Saroj Kumar
dc.contributor.reviewer	Zajączkowski, Jakub
dc.date.defence	2026-07-06
dc.date.issued	2026
dc.date.submitted	2026-06-29
dc.identifier.apd	253750
dc.language	en
dc.language.other	pl
dc.publisher	Uniwersytet Warszawski
dc.rights	ClosedAccess
dc.subject.en	Russian Federation
dc.subject.en	Ethnicity
dc.subject.en	Strategic culture
dc.subject.en	Post-Soviet
dc.subject.en	Offensive Realism
dc.subject.en	Identity
dc.subject.en	Historical experience
dc.subject.en	Institutions
dc.subject.en	Ideology
dc.title	Russia’s instrumentalisation of ethnic identity through the lens of strategic culture
dc.title.alternative	Rosyjska Instrumentalizacja Tożsamości Etnicznej w Regionie Postsowieckim Przez Pryzmat Kultury Strategicznej
dc.type	MasterThesis