Impact of Ukraine's Geopolitical Evolution on Russia's Security from Prism of Critical Geopolitics

Political tendencies of Soviet republics can be divided in the following categories after the collapse of the USSR: centralism and pursuing politics in line with Russia; Anti- Russian politics and western oriented approach; intermediate approach. Due to its geostrategic and geopolitical significance, Ukraine is converted to an area of conflict between Russia and the west. Why Ukraine is so important in Russia’s geopolitical vision and political security? And why Russia’s security is influenced by Ukraine? The hypothesis of this article is that in its security policymaking in post-historical era, Russia still emphasizes on two elements of ‘historical mentality” and “geopolitics”; therefore it sees a linkage between its neighboring’s geopolitical codes and its interests. That is the reason why Ukraine has a pivotal role for Russia.