ETHNO-POLITICAL CONFLICTS IN POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN "EASTERN PARTNERSHIP" AS A TOOL OF RUSSIAN INFLUENCE IN THE REGION

Abstract

In the article are analyzed causes of ethno-political conflicts in post-Soviet countries-participants of "Eastern Partnership". Using the method of historical analogies, the author concludes that the conflicts were inspired by the leadership of former Soviet Union to preserve the Union State. In transforming them into "frozen" and the escalation of new ones, like the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Russian Federation authorities are extremely interested in as successor to the USSR. The Kremlin uses "frozen" and new conflicts as building tools for a new empire. Key words: "frozen" conflicts, post-Soviet space, Empire, European integration, "Eastern Partnership".