Ridvan Bari Urcosta
Ridvan Bari Urcosta is a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations at Warsaw University, where he specializes in Russian Foreign Policy and particularly Russian Grand Strategy. He regularly cooperates with the European Council Foreign Relations. He has served as assistant to the Head of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People since 2014, and represent Crimean Tatars at a variety of international institutions. Before the Russian annexation of Crimea, he worked as a civil servant in the Sevastopol State Administration, in the Department of Investments and Foreign Economic Activities. He regularly writes articles for Ukrainian, Polish and European magazines.
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Articles by Ridvan Bari Urcosta
Two Differing Approaches to the Mobilization in Crimea
Since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, the peninsula has developed two completely different worlds. The first is the occupation administration itself, which was established by Russia right after
Egyptian-Russian Naval Exercises in the Black Sea: Strategic Balancing against Turkey?
In November 2020, Russia and Egypt conducted their first joint naval exercises in the Black Sea. The Bridge of Friendship-2020 naval drills brought the Egyptian Navy to the Black Sea
The Geo-Economics of the Water Deficit in Crimea
In Russian-occupied Crimea, people are praying with Christian Orthodox priests for rain and snow because the last six months passed by with virtually no precipitation. Because of the dry winter,
Russia Considering Renaming Crimea as ‘Taurida’
Immediately following Russia’s forcible annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in February–March 2014, proposals surfaced to return to an old Imperial Russian tradition of referring to this land as “Taurida.” Last
Strategic Consequences of Russia’s Economic Presence in the Suez Canal Zone
Belarus recently announced plans to join the Russian Industrial Zone (RIZ) in the Suez Canal. Eventually, Minsk intends to set up its own industrial park in the Egyptian Suez Canal
Newly Appointed Governor of Sevastopol Faces Looming Showdown With Local Elites
Since Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, in 2014, the peninsula’s most important port city of Sevastopol has largely escaped close international scrutiny. In some sense, this is understandable—compared with the
Crimean Drilling Rigs Key to Russia’s Energy Policy in Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean
On December 29, 2018, the head of the occupying government in Crimea, Sergey Aksenov, proposed to transport Ukrainian offshore oil and natural gas drilling rigs (“nationalized” by Russia after the
Russian Proxy Diplomacy in Syria: Crimea and Sevastopol
As the war in Syria appears to wind down, the Kremlin is shifting its focus to rebuilding the country and reestablishing social order there based on Russia’s vision and interests.
Kyiv Bans Foreign Military Basing on Ukrainian Territory
The Ukrainian parliament adopted several symbolic amendments to the Constitution, on February 7. The amendments, which President Petro Poroshenko signed into law on February 19, aim to make Ukraine’s strategic
Europeans Make a Move in the Sea of Azov
With the level of tensions between the Russian Federation and Ukraine over the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait at their highest level in years, European countries and institutions have
Prospects for a Strategic Military Partnership Between Turkey and Ukraine
One of the most undesirable geopolitical scenarios for Russia would be the establishment of a strategic alliance between the two other major Black Sea regional powers—Turkey and Ukraine. Such an
Ukraine’s Strategic Aims in the Sea of Azov
Today’s (October 17) news of a tragic attack on a school in the Crimean coastal city of Kerch (UNIAN, October 17) snapped global attention back to this Russian-occupied corner of
The Kerch Strait Bridge: A Double-Edged Sword for Northwest Caucasus
Despite wide international condemnation, on May 16 the Russian Federation completed the first phase of construction of a ten-mile bridge across the Kerch Strait, which links Russia proper with the
Ukraine Restoring Military Base Near Hungarian Border
In recent years, Ukraine has been fostering a national ideology that has significantly impacted the quality of relations with its western neighbors, notably Poland and Hungary. Ukrainian national ideology, on
The Crimean Factor in the 2018 Russian Presidential Election
Four years after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, it is more than obvious that the peninsula has been forcibly integrated into the contemporary Russian identity. All “achievements” claimed by Moscow since
The Kerch Strait Bridge and Russia’s A2/AD Zone Around Crimea
In order to secure and consolidate its control over Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in early 2014, Moscow has been building a bridge across the Kerch Strait to
Crimea as a Playground for the Russian-Ukrainian Spy War
A Russian court in occupied Sevastopol sentenced Ukrainian former military expert Dmitry Shtyblykov, on November 16, to five years imprisonment in a strict penal colony (Regnum, November 16). Shtyblykov worked
Autumn Brings Fresh Persecutions in Russian-Occupied Crimea
Despite Western diplomatic efforts and sanctions against Russia, Moscow continues to attack and put pressure on the last vestiges of organized political and social opposition in Crimea, which Russia illegally
Ukraine Struggles to Retain Presence in Azov Sea With Plans for New Canal Around Crimea
By finalizing the construction of the Kerch Bridge (see EDM, September 6), Russia is completing its geopolitical project of fully cutting the Crimean Peninsula—which it illegally annexed in March 2014—off
Far Away Myanmar Triggering Rise of Political Islam in Russia
The reaction of Russia’s Islamic community to the ongoing prosecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar occurred suddenly and unexpectedly. Groups organized unsanctioned rallies in front of the Myanmar embassy in
Controversies Over Proposed Crimean Tatar Autonomy in Ukraine
While Ukraine continues to battle joint Russian-separatist forces in Donbas, it is simultaneously facing a great dilemma over the Crimean Tatar question and the future status of the Crimean Peninsula,
Sinking of the Liman Undermines Russia’s Sea Power Credentials
While operating in Black Sea waters near the mouth of the Bosporus, on April 27, the Russian naval reconnaissance vessel Liman sank after colliding with the Youzarsif, a Togo-flagged livestock
Russian-Turkish Relations Undermined by Status of Crimea
By certain measures, Russian-Turkish relations appear to be firmly developing in a positive direction, but in fact serious points of contention continue to undermine this rapprochement. On the one hand,
Russia’s Arduous Quest to Resurrect Its Carrier Fleet: The Case of the Crimean NITKA Military Complex
The Crimean peninsula is a valuable asset, especially for its military attributes. When Russia illegally annexed Crimea in February–March 2014, it notably gained full de facto control over Sevastopol (where
With Eye Toward 2018 Elections, Putin Spearheads Strategic Infrastructure Mega-Projects in Crimea
Though still two years away, the presidential elections in Russia are already on the minds of the political elite in Moscow. The sitting head of state, President Vladimir Putin, is