Three Centuries of Russian Influence in the Balkans

South-East European History

edited by mihai dragnea

Vol. 17

Foreword

A project initiated by the Balkan History Association, this volume dives into the Pan-Slavic/Slavic Brotherhood history of the region to provide a better understanding of Russian influence in the Balkans over the last three centuries It provides a comprehensive understanding of how Russia’s political, economic, cultural, religious, intelligence, and military strategies have impacted the Balkans from the 19th century to the present day.

Starting from the generally accepted idea that Russia was a historically important player in the Balkans, the volume tries to address a more subtle and nuanced question: how did Russian-Balkan relations change give rise to tensions, over time, even with their wel known historical, religious, and cultural connections? In this context, some other research questions emerge: What were and Russia’s interests in the Balkans? How have Balkan countries and other Great Power competitors responded? How have Russia’s allies/ enemies/ rivals/ competitors in the Balkans altered and changed over time? And perhaps most importantly, what might this analysis of historical engagement mean for the future of the area and for possible conflicts to come?

The volume promotes a different perspective on Russian influence based mainly on new and unpublished sources. Contributions from fourteen authors across nine countries offer a rich mosaic of national viewpoints, demonstrating how historical interpretation varies by national context and personal experience. Moreover, an in-depth examination of Russia’s influence in Serbia illustrates the multifaceted nature of this relationship and its implications for regional stability and Serbia’s European integration goals.

The volume seeks to bridge gaps in understanding by providing a nuanced analysis of Russia’s presence in the Balkans, encouraging readers to critically assess historical and contemporary engagements and their implications for future regional dynamics. This work will be particularly important to experts in the field, but it should also deeply intrigue young researchers interested in intelligence studies, foreign policy, international relations, war studies, diplomatic history in general and specifically the history of the Balkans.

The editors

Contents

1. List of Figures

2. List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

3. Acknowledgments

4. Introduction: The Slavic Brotherhood and Pan-Slavism: What You See Depends on Where You Sit

5. Part I The Russian Presence in the Balkans: Domains, Trends and Methods

   1. Diverse Diplomacy: The Strengthening of Russian Influence in the Balkans (1820s–1830s)

      Katalin Schrek

   2. Russia’s Shifting Dynamic Between Bulgaria and Serbia

      Miloš Petrović

   3. Russian Foreign Policy and Military Presence in Crete, 1897–1906

      Georgios Limantzakis

   4. A Shifting Coalition or Convenient Compromise: Romania and Russia in World War I

      Hadrian Gorun

6. Part II Russia’s Great Competitors in the Balkans

   1. Tito and Anglo-Soviet Competition in the Balkans: Yugoslav Territorial Ambitions in Venezia Giulia

      Chris Murray

   2. Propaganda Competition in the Middle of Chaos: Russian and Austrian Narratives via Croatian News (1914–1920)

      Adrijan Štivić

   3. A Waning and Waxing Stage: The Balkans as Performing Ground for Franco-Russian Relations

      Kateřina Kočí and Marcela Hennlichová

   4. Junior or Equal Partner? Chinese and Russian Engagement in the Balkans

      Ion Marandici

7. Part III Serbia as a Case Study for Russian Influence in the Balkans

   1. Moving Away from the Kremlin Winds: Serbia as Critical Case Study on Russian Influence in the Balkans

      Ana Jović-Lazić

   2. A Complex Triangulation: Soviet–Yugoslav–Albanian Economic Relations (1945–1948)

      Božica Slavković Mirić

   3. Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Influence of Soviet and Yugoslav Intelligence Officers on Russian Émigrés in Yugoslavia (1944–1956)

      Željko Oset

   4. Soviet-ish: The Unique History of Yugoslav Revisionism (1956–1961)

      József Juhász and Bálint Mezei

8. Notes on Editors and Contributors

9. Index

List of Figures

1. Figure 3.1 Russian troops with Christian rebels on the outskirts of Rethimno (Russians on the left dressed in white uniforms) (Fall of 1897).

2. Figure 3.2 Tsario Nosokomio [Hospital of the Tsar], built by the Russians and named after Tsar Nicholas II, inaugurated in May 1899.

3. Figure 3.3 Russian troops on a bicycle patrol at Metohi Barbou, Chania (1900).

4. Figure 8.1 The China–Europe Land-Sea Express Line.

5. Figure 8.2 China among EU’s main partners extra-E.U. for trade in goods, 2022.

6. Figure 8.3 China’s trade with the Balkans and select advanced EU economies, 2022.

7. Figure 8.4 China’s Investment in the Balkans, 2005–23, in millions of dollars.

Acknowledgments

This volume, which focuses on the history of Russian influence in the Balkans in the last three centuries, is a project initiated by the Balkan History Association in February 2023. Two editors (Mihaela Teodor and Bogdan Teodor) are members of the association. The volume emphasizes the complexity of Russian involvement in cultural, social, economic, and political spheres, and the diversity of methods of maintaining influence.

I would like to thank certain people who supported the project in various ways and motivated the need for its publication. In this sense I am grateful to Matthew Crosston (Bowie State University, US), Jordan Baev (Rakovski National Defense College, Sofia), Mihaela Teodor (National Intelligence Academy, Bucharest), Marcela Hennlichová (Prague University of Economics and Business), Katalin Schrek (University of Debrecen), Pananos-Philippos Sophoulis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Gábor Demeter (Institute of History, RCH, Budapest), Dmitar Tasić, Božica Slavković Mirić (Institute for Recent History of Serbia, Belgrade), Sandra Cvikić (Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Zagreb), and Ion Marandici.

Mihai Dragnea, January 2026