International Academic Conference 150 years since the Herzegovina Uprising: impact on regional security and European geopolitics, June 10-11, 2025, Belgrade [pp. 71-75]
AUTOR(I) / AUTHOR(S): Ekaterina Entina 
and Alexander Nadzharov
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46793/Herzegovina.071E
SAŽETAK /ABSTRACT:
One hundred and fifty years after the Hercegovina uprising, the face of Europe has changed dramatically, yet the geopolitical interests of the key players remain largely unchanged. As in the past century and a half, the objective of Western countries is to establish a system of control over the Balkan region and, more broadly, Central and Eastern Europe, while limiting Russian influence. Conversely, Russia aims to create a secure buffer between itself and Western Europe while supporting nations and countries in the Balkans that share civilisational or cultural affinities. Simplifying this geopolitical confrontation into a conceptual model, one can observe that one side is constructing walls, while the other seeks to prevent such barriers from forming along its borders. One of these “walls” is currently being erected in Northern Europe and the Baltic region.
KLJUČNE REČI / KEYWORDS:
Russia, Europe, geopolitics, the Balkans, Baltic region