ИСТИНА

Since the beginning of its military operation in Syria in 2015, Russia has been one of the major players in the Middle East, which is able to alter the facts on the ground immediately. Russian involvement in Syria signaled a landmark not only in Syrian and Middle Eastern politics but also in the Russian foreign policy course, once it is the first military operation led by Russia beyond former Soviet territories and set off Russian assertive engagement in the region. The Middle East turned to be the ground, where Russia has sought to consolidate its position before the Western alliance, as western sanctions following the Ukrainian crisis were to leave Russia in isolation. Relations with the West have long been one of the most decisive factors, forming Russian foreign policy in the region, in line with the overall significance of the West in Russian foreign policymaking. Nevertheless, since its involvement in the Syrian civil war, Russia has gained more leverage in the region through diplomatic and military means, beyond its aims to stand against Western coercion. Developing its direct bilateral pragmatic relations with regional actors increased the radius of Russian action both in the region and world politics. The assertive Russian Middle Eastern policy raised interests in IR studies due to the ambiguity stemming from the changing international system and its consequences. This factor of change can be observed not only in world politics but also in individual foreign policies, like the Russian. Understanding incentives of the Russian political course in the region requires comprehension of the changing and long-standing components of it. Israel, as the closest Western ally in the region, plays a critical role in this respect. This paper focuses on the Israeli vector of Russian foreign policy in the Middle East and the evolution of the bilateral relations in a changing world order. Russian-Israeli relations are instrumental for the understanding of change and continuity in the Russian Middle Eastern policy due to the fact that they have long been subordinated to relations with the West during the Cold War and post-Cold War period and yet witnessing a growing dialog and cooperation for last two decades. Analysis of Russian-Israeli relations requires the use of both constructivist and realist approaches with regards to long-lasting status-seeking/enhancing policy of Russia in its global affairs on the one hand and Russian national interests in the region in security, economic and strategical level on the other.