Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, pro-Russia breakaway territories have figured prominently in the Eurasian political landscape. During Mikhail Gorbachev's era of reduced centralized control of the Soviet Union, several nationalist and independence movements arose to challenge Moscow's grip, as did regional movements trying to break away from their republics. The most notable hot spots were in the Abkhazian and South Ossetian regions of the Soviet republic of Georgia, the majority Slavic region of Transdniestria in the republic of Moldova, and the majority Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan. As Moscow's control and authority over the Soviet republics weakened, armed conflict broke out. When the Soviet Union collapsed, these regions formed de facto states outside the control of the newly independent former Soviet republics.
By backing breakaway territories, Russia solidified its control over parts of the former Soviet space and turned them into assets for Moscow. Russia's military presence in the territories has enabled it to rapidly respond to regional political developments. For example, when Georgia shifted to a strong pro-West, anti-Russia foreign policy following the Rose Revolution in 2003, Russia backed Abkhazia and South Ossetia against the central government in Tbilisi. In 2008, Russia used the territories as a point from which to invade Georgia and to demonstrate NATO's unwillingness to come to the aid of an ally. Soon after, Russia established official military bases in both territories, something which has undermined Georgia's drive to join NATO and the European Union.
Similarly, when the 2009 Moldovan parliamentary elections unseated the Russia-friendly Communist Party in favor of the pro-Western Alliance for European Integration, Russia used Transdniestria to express its displeasure. Moscow increased its security presence in the breakaway territory and rebuffed efforts by the Moldovan government to reintegrate Transdniestria into the country. The very existence of this territorial dispute has made the European Union and NATO wary of considering Moldova's bid for membership.
Russia's use of Nagorno-Karabakh is more complicated, since it lacks a direct military presence in the breakaway territory. However, Moscow has used the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh as a way to balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to remain the predominant foreign power in the Caucasus. Though Armenia is strategically aligned with Moscow and Azerbaijan has a more balanced foreign policy, Russia sells weapons to keep each focused on the other and dependent on Moscow for its security needs.
Russia's use of the breakaway territory strategy is not limited only to conflicts that originated in the late Soviet, early post-Soviet period. In 2014, Moscow employed its breakaway strategy once again in Ukraine. With the standoff between Moscow and the West intensifying, Russia is unlikely to abandon its position in these breakaway territories anytime soon.
