In its 90 years of modern existence, Turkish foreign relations with Russia reflect contentious issues with which the two republics have grappled during the twentieth century and following the collapse of great empires, civil wars and radical changes in the international political system. Moreover, it is safe to say that the degree of constructiveness of these relations is directly dependent upon macropolitical processes in Eurasia, and that the success of foreign political contacts reflects the level of political and cultural thinking of state elites in both countries. One of the most important directions of Russian–Turkish bilateral relations is inter-regional cooperation on the subject of the Russian Federation and Turkey. This paper analyzes the main directions and pace of economic cooperation development between Turkey and Russia’s constituent entities, and evaluates the prospects of these relations.

In 2008, before the conflict with Georgia began, no one was able to predict the readiness or effectiveness of the Russian Army. A few years later during the military campaign in Syria, the Russian Armed Forces confirmed their standing as one of the best armies of the world, demonstrating a high level of technical potential and combat training. Between 2008 and 2012 Russia’s military education became one of the best and most prestigious forms of education in Russia. The main purpose of this article is to show the changes that have occurred in the Russian military education since the beginning of military reform (in 2008) to 2012. The main research problem is to answer the question: how have the changes in military education and in the training system strengthened Russia’s military potential?