Author: Nikola Mikovic
Nikola Mikovic
Nikola Mikovic is a freelance journalist, researcher and analyst based in Serbia. His work focuses mostly on the foreign policies of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. His area of focus is the ongoing conflict in the Donbass, as well as relations between Russia and former Soviet republics. Nikola also covers Russia's involvement in Syria and Libya. He writes for several publications such as Diplomatic Courier, Asia Times, CGTN, Tsarizm, Global Comment, among others.
“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also,” seems to be a major driver of Russian and Iranian foreign policy. Although Moscow and Tehran suffer humiliation on a daily basis in the international arena, they refuse to raise the stakes, escalate tensions, or seriously respond to their opponents’ actions. Nominally, the two countries are not allies, nor have they signed a treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership yet. In reality, however, Iran helps Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine by providing Moscow with drones and ballistic missiles. The Kremlin, on the other hand, has still…
While the world remains focused on Israel’s war against Hamas, Azerbaijan and Armenia seek to normalize relations. After Baku resolved the decades-old Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in its favor, the energy-rich South Caucasus nation aims to achieve other significant geopolitical goals, while Yerevan, as a defeated party, seems to attempt to radically change its foreign policy course. For Azerbaijan, the Karabakh issue is a thing of the past. Baku now seeks to get a land link between mainland Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan, and further with Turkey. Ever since Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement in 2020 – a…
The self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh seems to be counting its last days. It is a matter of time before Azerbaijan restores its sovereignty over the region that has been under Armenian control since the early 1990s. But what comes next for Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia? After Azerbaijani forces, on September 19, launched a full-scale military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, it became obvious that Yerevan does not plan to intervene and protect the local Armenians who make up the majority of the population in the region. As a result, thousands of Karabakh Armenians have already fled their homes, quite aware that it is…
“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” comes from an aphorism of the 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin survived Yevgeny Prigozhin’s aborted mutiny, he is extremely unlikely to emerge stronger after his (former?) ally’s failed rebellion. When the Wagner Group launched its “march on Moscow” on June 23, Putin was nowhere to be seen. It took almost 24 hours for the Russian leader to address the nation and tell the Russians that his friend Prigozhin is a “traitor”. Most pro-Putin propagandists, on the other hand, remained silent until it became quite clear that the…
No army in the world can win the war merely by defending itself. Even though the Russian military, according to reports, is so far relatively successfully repelling Ukrainian attacks in the southeast of the war-torn nation, to achieve the initial goals of its so-called special military operation, Russia would have to launch another large-scale offensive against the Ukrainian forces. But is Moscow ready for that? On June 10, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his country’s long-awaited counter-offensive against Russia. Previously, over the past months, Ukrainian and Western officials have been repeatedly announcing Kiev’s plans to launch a large-scale military campaign…
Kazakhstan is a highly digitalized society. The government has almost all information about its citizens. It is an 82 percent cashless economy, and the authorities strongly encourage the population to stop using cash, and switch to digital transactions instead. Very few people in the Central Asian nation use credit or debit cards when they go to grocery stores. Without a smart phone, life in Kazakhstan can be extremely difficult. It is virtually impossible to order a cab unless one has a mobile application. Although drivers accept cash, they often do not have enough banknotes to return change. Paying with a…
Russian troops stationed in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria could soon become Ukraine’s next major target. In order to postpone another humiliating military defeat, the Kremlin will have to continue making concessions to Kiev. But is there anything Moscow can do to preserve the self-proclaimed Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) under its de facto control? Russia has roughly 1,500 military personnel stationed in Transnistria, also known as Pridnestrovie. They were deployed to the region in 1992, following a short war between Moscow-backed PMR and Moldovan forces. As a result of the conflict, Transnistria has become a de facto independent state with…
The Russian Federation proved to be incapable not only of defeating Ukraine, but also of protecting its own territory. Shortly after the nine-month battle for the small and strategically insignificant city of Bakhmut effectively came to an end, Ukraine-backed anti-Kremlin forces captured portions of Russia’s Belgorod region. According to reports, on May 22 Ukraine-based Liberty of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps have occupied several settlements in western Russia. Their incursion from Ukraine into Belgorod oblast likely represents a part of Kiev’s preparations for the upcoming counteroffensive against the Russian forces in the Donbass, as well as in the…
Regardless of the outcome of the “historic” Turkish general elections, Ankara will undoubtedly preserve its leverage over Moscow. Even though the Kremlin indirectly backs Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia is unlikely to change its current political course regarding Turkey even if the opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu comes to power. While the United States and its allies continue seizing Russia’s assets abroad, and using them to fund Ukraine, Moscow remains busy helping its frenemy Turkey overcome the economic crisis. On May 5, the Kremlin allowed its Turkish partners to delay payment of a $600 million gas bill to Russia until…
While Ukraine prepares to launch a large-scale counteroffensive against the Russian forces in the southeast of the war-torn nation, Moscow remains preoccupied with its internal divisions. For the Kremlin, the celebration of the Victory Day on May 9 seems to have priority over the war in the Eastern European country, even though the outcome of the conflict could have a serious impact on the very existence of the Russian Federation. Ukrainian shelling of the Russian regions of Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod has become a norm a long time ago. Although such actions represent Kiev’s response to Russia’s invasion of the…