Pietro A. Shakarian is a PhD candidate in Russian history at Ohio State University in Columbus. He earned his MA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In addition to The Nation, he has also written analyses on Russia and the former USSR for Russia Direct and Hetq Online.
Political tensions, exacerbated by Western regional expansion, are raising the risk of violence.
The country’s troubles will not end even if fighting ceases in its southeastern regions.