Land empires and overseas empires… Colonization and neocolonization phenomena need to be evaluated differently in historical terms. Against the colonial empires of England, France, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, which emerged from the colonization of Latin America and Africa with geographical discoveries, Russia and Austria, which remained as land empires, and Germany, Italy and Japan groups that started late colonialism were actually the main actors of the first World War. In this group, those who remained on the side of the land state or remained in colonialism due to late political union either left with heavy damage at the end of the war (Germany), either collapsed (Russian Empire, Austria-Hungary) or became a part of the Second World War with neo-colonization (Japan, Italy).

 Cold War II… Putin references the Russian Empire, not the USSR, as an ideology and administrative mind. Under Putin, Russia has engaged in many major conflicts, including against its neighbors Ukraine and Georgia. Relations with the United States in particular deteriorated sharply between 2001 and 2021. The mid-2010s marked a dramatic decline in Russia's relations with the west, and some even considered it the beginning of a new Cold War. Tensions have increased in recent years as NATO members in Eastern Europe, particularly Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland, felt threatened by Russia. However, the biggest increase in tension came during the Ukraine crisis, which started in 2014, when the Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia. The United States responded to these events by imposing sanctions against Russia, and most European countries did the same, fearing Russian interference in Central and Eastern European affairs.

The Russian Empire coexisted with historical overseas colonial empires, but did not spread over the oceans. Rather, it expanded in a more traditional way, such as the conquest of neighboring territories. Starting from the middle of the 17th century, Ukraine was gradually incorporated into the Russian Empire. Ukraine experienced a brief period of independence in 1918-20, after which it became part of the Soviet Union. Russia wants to keep the non-Russian countries that were once part of the USSR within the Russian sphere of influence and not include them in the Western bloc. In the current crisis, too, the Russian government is interfering with Ukraine in NATO's expansion into Eastern Europe, arguing that Western leaders promised that NATO would not go beyond the borders of the 1990s.

 

Map of colonial and land-based empires around the world in 1914

 Economy and strategy... Russia tried to gain some kind of influence over the post-Soviet space by establishing a regional organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, on 8 December 1991. In the following years, Russia initiated a series of agreements with post-Soviet states designed to institutionalize relations within the CIS. However, many of these agreements were not fulfilled, and the CIS republics began to distance themselves from Russia, which at the time was trying to stabilize its corrupt economy and ties with the West.

Russia's power in the international arena depends on oil revenues. If the world completes the transition to renewable energy and international demand for Russian oil, gas and coal resources declines significantly, Russia's international strength will also decline. As a result of the invasion, Brent oil prices rose above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014. The occupation threatened energy supplies from Russia to Europe, which could cause European countries to try to diversify their energy supply routes. The sanctions may weigh on the Russian economy over time, but may not be enough of a deterrent for the moment to stop the Russian offensive.

 Conclusion? While the new tensions between Russia and the West bear similarities to those during the Cold War, the type of direct military action that Russia has undertaken in less collaborative ex-Soviet states such as Ukraine and the Caucasus region has paved the way for another type of economic war. Wrong political decisions and the economy brought the end of such states in the past, but the inability of the USSR to provide continuity in the economic and political war brought about its collapse. Russia's invasion of Ukraine will also have political and economic consequences, and the sanctions aim to accelerate this process to shape the way the West wants.

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