Vasily Nikitin and his place in the Eurasian movement

The article is devoted to the place of the Russian orientalist, Iranian scholar, diplomat Vasily Petrovich Nikitin in the Eurasian movement. The circumstances of his acquaintance with the Eurasians in 1925-1929, the reasons for joining their circle are analyzed. All 22 articles by Nikitin in Eurasian journals, newspapers, and collections are introduced into scientific circulation. Two main problems are in focus: RussianIranian relations and Russia’s position in Asia as a whole. In this regard, Nikitin’s controversy is analyzed both with the liberal Pavel N. Milyukov, and with the “asian” Vsevolod N. Ivanov. Nikitin’s understanding of the general theory of Eurasianism, the tasks of Russian oriental studies and his criticism of Russia’s diplomacy and policy in Asian countries are touched upon. The researcher’s unique position in the circle of French and European scientists and politicians is emphasized. The issue of the relationship between Iran, Turan and Russia is considered in detail in the works by Nikitin. The characteristic of his articles about India, China, Afghanistan, Arab countries is given. It is proved that after the split in the Eurasian movement, the thinker remained faithful to the ideas of Eurasianism until the end of his life and corresponded with George Vernadsky and Petr Savitsky.