Geopolitical challenges of Russian civilization: limitrophe states

The article is devoted to the analysis of the current geopolitical situation in various limitrophe states. The author comes to the conclusion that the modern international environment objectively poses one of the most important challenges for the Russian civilizational world. The fact is that it is not fully covered by the Russian statehood, and there is a tendency to further shift the borders of the Russian world mainly under the influence of increasing pressure from global civilizational competitors (primarily, the collective West) to its outskirts (limes), subsequently often cascading to limitrophe states. In this context, the case of Crimea is an exception. The current situation is the result of the following factors: firstly, strategic fluctuations in the official Russian policy, which hinder the formation of adequate responses to geopolitical challenges; secondly, the continuing centrifugal trends within Russia itself; thirdly, the increasing activity of Russia's global civilizational competitors, who are taking consistent steps to reduce its influence.