Neo-Satellite States: Russian aggression in Georgia and Ukraine

I will seek to establish a better scholarly understanding of the recent Russian conflicts with Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. In each conflict, Russia has used similar tactics that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) used against Hungary and Czechoslovakia, both of whom were satellite states. Scholars have established that Russia’s recent aggression was because of nationalism, challenging the West, and dependency. However, I will explore how Russia has established neo-satellite states through the use of soft power. Russia has continuously used their power to influence surrounding states to impede the West from establishing a foundation in Eastern Europe. Thus, I will give explanatory insight about how Russia has used soft power to influence the foreign policies of Georgia and Ukraine, establishing neo-satellite states in the region