Olga V. Lebedeva,Alexander K. Bobrov
Aim of the study: The article deals with the regional priorities of the Russian foreign policy set forth in the Foreign Policy Concept of 2016: CIS, Euro-Atlantic region, Asia-Pacific region, Middle East, Latin America and Africa. In order to respond to the main research question of what criteria underlie the hierarchy of regional priorities the author makes an attempt to thoroughly examine the Russian foreign-policy strategy in each and every of the 6 regions in question. Methodology: The place of CIS as the main regional priority is determined by the intensive integrational and regional cooperation within the Union State, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent Countries (all of which were created in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union), the active role played by Moscow in the settlement of the post-Soviet conflicts and successes in transregional cooperation, most notably, in the Caspian Sea. Conclusion: As a result, the author comes to the conclusion that the hierarchy of regional priorities is the result of confluence of historical, political, diplomatic, economic, humanitarian and even geographical factors that should be considered altogether.