Department of the Middle & Post-Soviet East

Head of the Department — Vladimir A. Avatkov

Focus of research:

• The Department engages in research and scientific-analytical work focusing on the study of the Middle East, South Caucasus, and Central Asia.
• The Department is involved in an all-encompassing study of Russia and its relations with the above-mentioned regions.
• The Department organizes conferences, round tables, and other scientific events addressing issues related to the Middle East and the Post-Soviet regions.

Founded in 2022 by Dr. Vladimir A. Avatkov (Doctor of Political Sciences and the current head), the Department of the Middle & Post-Soviet East serves as a structural scientific unit of INION RAN, focused on thorough research into political processes in the Middle East, South Caucasus, and Central Asia.

Key researchers:

• Vladimir A. AVATKOV, Dr.Sc (Political Science), Head of the Department, leading researcher. Specialist in domestic and foreign policy of Russia and Turkey, political processes in the states of the Middle and Post-Soviet East, political and economic aspects of Russian-Turkish relations, the Turkic factor in world politics and the Turkic states of the CIS.
• Danila S. KRYLOV, PhD in Political Science, researcher. Specialist in military and political situation in the Middle and Post-Soviet East, information and political tension between global, cross-regional and regional powers in the Middle and Post-Soviet East, ideological and value factor in world politics.
• Alina I. SBITNEVA, PhD student, researcher. Specialist in international security cooperation, Turkey in the system of global and regional security, terrorist organizations and anti-terrorist policy of Turkey, armed forces, military-technical development of the Republic of Turkey, Turkey's relations with the states of the Middle and Post-Soviet East.
• Ilya D. BASKAKOV, junior researcher. Specialist in Iran's foreign policy, interests and values in international relations, Iran's fuel and energy complex, political dynamics in the Persian Gulf, energy security issues.
• Razil I. GUZAEROV, PhD student, junior researcher. Specialist in Turkish foreign policy, Turkish military-industrial complex, Turkic vector of foreign policy, ideological factor, Central Asia and Transcaucasia in the context of Turkish and Russian foreign policy, Turkic peoples of Russia.
• Aida R. YERMANALIEVA, senior laboratory. Specialist in foreign and domestic policy of Iran and Kazakhstan, regional security, international security, Turkic factor, Central Asia in the context of foreign policy of the Russian Federation.
• Alexander S. KAMNEV, junior researcher. Specialist in the history of the Middle East front of World War I, history of the Republic of Turkey in the 20th century, history of Russian-Turkish relations, Russian policy in the Middle East.
• Lev D. MISHIN, junior researcher. Specialist in Turkey's foreign policy, Ideological and value factor in Turkey's foreign policy, Military diplomacy and Turkish politics, Turkey's Domestic Policy, Central Asia, Turkey's influence in Central Asia, Russia's National Security.
• Vasily D. OSTANIN-GOLOVNYA, PhD student, researcher. Specialist in political science of religion, religious factor in world politics, Islamic factor in political processes of the Middle East, socio-political development of the countries of the Arab East, foreign and domestic policy of Saudi Arabia.
• Zlata P. ROZHKOVA, senior laboratory. Specialist in Central Asia, Republic of Uzbekistan, People's Republic of China, Asia-Pacific region, regional security, “soft power” in international relations.
• Ivan D. RUSANOV, senior laboratory. Specialist in international relations in the Middle East, Israeli domestic and foreign policy, Israeli regional strategy, Arab-Israeli conflict, Israeli constitutional law and political system.

Latest major publications:

Books

• Avatkov V.A. (ed.). (2024). Russia in history textbooks of the Middle and Post-Soviet East and China. Moscow: INION, 155 pp. (in Russian)
• Avatkov V.A. (ed.). (2022). Middle and Post-Soviet East: 2022. Moscow: INION, 158 pp. (in Russian)

Articles

• Avatkov V.A., Rozhkova Z.P. (2024). Peculiarities of intercultural communication with Uzbek people. Herald of Culturology, vol. 109, no. 2, pp. 229–242. (in Russian). DOI: 10.31249/hoc/2024.02.12.
• Avatkov V.A., Sbitneva A.I. (2024). Between West and Non-West - Turkey at a Crossroad of Geostrategic Choice. RUDN Journal of Political Science, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 131–142. (in Russian). DOI: 10.22363/2313-1438-2024-26-1-131-142.
• Pochta Y.U., Guzaerov R.I. (2024). Latinization of the Language under Turkey's Guidance as a Tool for Shaping a New Identity for Post-Soviet Turkic States. RUDN Journal of Political Science, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 143–154. (in Russian). DOI: 10.22363/2313-1438-2024-26-1-143-154.
• Krylov D.S., Sbitneva A.I. (2024). Conflict interaction between Turkey and the United States in the Syria crisis. Pathways to Peace and Security, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 134–149. (in Russian). DOI: 10.20542/2307-1494-2024-1-134-149.
• Avatkov V.A., Sbitneva A.I. (2024). Turkish Diaspora in Modern Europe: challenge to the European Union. Current Problems of Europe, no. 3, pp. 191–206. (in Russian). DOI: 10.31249/ape/2024.03.11.
• Vokhmintsev I.V., Guzaerov R.I. (2023). Applied quantitative analysis of R.T. Erdogan’s multi-vector foreign policy in 2014–2022. Vestnik RUDN. International Relations, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 689–703. (in Russian). DOI: 10.22363/2313-0660-2023-23-4-689-703.
• Avatkov V.A., Sbitneva A.I. (2023). Turkey in the modern world: between democracy and authoritarianism. Current Problems of Europe, vol. 117, no. 1, pp. 270–288. (in Russian). DOI: 10.31249/ape/2023.01.12.
• Avatkov V.A., Sbitneva A.I. (2023) One man in the field is no warrior: Turkey’s key private military companies. Pathways to Peace and Security, vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 219–232. (in Russian). DOI: 10.20542/2307-1494-2023-2-219-232.
• Avatkov V.A., Guzaerov R.I. (2023). «The World is More Than Five», or Turkish Justice. Contemporary Europe, vol. 115, no. 1, pp. 194–201. (in Russian). DOI: 10.31857/S0201708323010163.
• Avatkov V.A., Krylov D.S. (2023). Russia’s foreign policy ideologemes and their relevance for Middle East in context of transformation of modern system of international relations. RUDN Journal of Political Science, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 163–174. (in Russian). DOI: 10.22363/2313-1438-2023-25-1-163-174.
• Razil I. Guzaerov. (2023). Evolution of Turkish-Azerbaijani relations from 1991 to 2023. Postsovetskie issledovaniya. Post-Soviet Studies, vol. 6, no. 8, pp. 860–870. (In Russian) DOI: 10.24412/2618-7426-2023-8-860-870.
• Baskakov I.D., Krylov D.S. (2023). Iran’s Energy Diplomacy in the Oil and Gas Sphere in the Persian Gulf Subregion. Geoeconomics of Energetics. no. 2, pp. 40–59. (In Russian). DOI: 10.48137/26870703_2023_22_2_40.
• Avatkov V.A., Ostanin-Golovnya V.D. (2022). The “East-West” Dichotomy. Ideological and Value Dimension of World Politics. Svobodnaya mysl, vol. 1693, no. 3, pp. 115–120. (in Russian).
• Avatkov V.A., Rozhkova Z.P. (2022). Conceptual foundations of the foreign policy of the republic of Uzbekistan at the present stage. Postsovetskie issledovaniya. Post-Soviet Studies, vol. 5, no. 8, pp. 825–834. (In Russian).

The Department publishes the scientific journal “Middle and Post-Soviet East”. The journal publishes materials addressing current issues in world politics, international relations, and the global economy, with a regional focus on the Middle and Post-Soviet East, including Russia, Arab countries, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Transcaucasia, and Central Asia. Since 2023, the journal has released four issues annually.

The Department regularly organizes nationwide and international conferences.

The Department has implemented several projects funded by the Russian Science Foundation and the Expert Institute for Social Research.