The term is used since the early 1990s, usually to assert Russia's right to have major influence in the region. For instance, president Vladimir Putin has declared the region Russia's "sphere of influence", and strategically vital for Russia.

The region includes Baltic states which chose not to join any post-Soviet political organization and achieved NATO and European Union membership instead, and several countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.

See also

• Foreign relations of Russia
• Sphere of influence

References