Ricerc@Sapienza

Despite recurring elections and the transition to multiparty systems, authoritarianism has re-emerged in
the Post-Soviet Space. Along with domestic factors, the external dimension should also be considered to
fully understand this regional trend. Scholars depict Russia as a typical ‘black knight’ for democracy.
While most of the literature deals with the Kremlin’s policies in the ‘new’ Eastern Europe, this article
pays attention to Russia’s actions in the relatively understudied Southern Caucasus. Specifically, it investigates
why and how Moscow tried to thwart democratization in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The
diachronic analysis addresses three periods, namely, Yeltsin’s presidency, the first Putin presidency and the
Putin–Medvedev diarchy. Findings suggest that the Kremlin implemented an increasingly nuanced and
intentional black knight strategy in Southern Caucasus, aimed at gaining primacy in the Post-Soviet
Space and recognition of its great power status.