The Black Sea dimension of Ukraine’s foreign policy expertise in the context of the armed conflict with Russia

The article attempts to make a comprehensive analysis of the state of the Black Sea direction in Ukraine's foreign policy expertise. Based on a theoretical and methodological approach that combines B. Buzan's and O. Wæver's theories of securitization, P. Haas's concept of epistemic communities, and G. O'Tuathail's critical geopolitics, the author identifies the range of institutions involved; analyzes their participation in the preparation and coordination of the implementation of Ukraine's Maritime Security Strategy (2024); outlines the main issues that these organizations are researching in the context of the conflict with Russia; and examines the work of the expert network of the Crimean Platform as one of the actors in Ukraine's expert diplomacy. The paper establishes that the Black Sea direction of Ukraine's foreign policy expertise is currently represented by the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Center for Globalization «Strategy XXI», the Institute for Black Sea Strategic Studies, the Center for Defense Strategies, and other organizations. These entities have formed a networked community of expert structures with shared geopolitical views, ideological (Ukrainian nationalist) and theoretical (primarily realist) frameworks, focusing on international relations, defense, and security in the Black Sea Region. Currently, Ukrainian expert structures pay particular attention to issues of maritime trade, naval threats, and international political challenges related to the establishment of a new security architecture in the Black Sea Region. The author emphasizes that Ukrainian think tanks are actively working on generating asymmetric anti-Russian initiatives in the fields of defense and security, including developing new methods to counter Russia's military presence in the Black Sea, and seeking ways to enhance Western military support for Ukraine. The author concludes that the Ukrainian expert community plays a significant role in shaping Ukraine's anti-Russian policy in the Black Sea Region. Its activities require careful analysis by Russian scientific, diplomatic, military, and intelligence communities.