The Black Sea Region in the Context of the Clash of Five Global Geopolitical Projections: Novorossiya, the Wider Black Sea Region, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Three Seas Initiative, and the Turkish World

Introduction. The modern Black Sea region is a strategic kernel of global geopolitical rivalry of leading powers. The events of the Crimean Spring, Crimea's reunification with the Russian Federation, and the Special Military Operation that followed initiated a fundamental revision of the post-bipolar, Western-cen- tric model of world order, introducing escalation risks for the policies of Russia, the United States, China, the European Union, Turkey, and Iran in this macroregion. The aim of this study is to identify and charac- terize the geopolitical projects of Russia, the United States, Great Britain, the EU, Turkey, China, and Iran in the Black Sea region, as well as those being implemented in the Black Sea region. Materials and Methods. The study draws on systemic, geopolitical, historical, and civilizational approaches, as well as a mapping method. Critical geopolitics methodology is applied: it analyzes how elites construct geopolitical projections, interpreting geographical and historical factors in the interests of shaping the future world order. The object of this study is the Black Sea region; the subject is the policies of these powers toward it. Results. Five key geopolitical projections in the BSR have been identified: Novorossiya (Russia) viewed as a Russian Rimland, providing access to the southern oceanic space and countering invasion from the sea; the Wider Black Sea Region (USA) aims to displace Russia and form a ‘‘Euro-Atlantic community’’ in the eastern part of the region; the Three Seas Initiative (Britain) as an association of states of the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas, continues the historical line of containing Russia; the ‘‘Belt and Road’’ (China) makes an emphasis on the transit potential of the region as a hub between Asia and Europe; the Turkic World (Turkey) is the creation of a Turkey-centric subsystem of international relations and the implementation of the ‘‘Blue Homeland’’ maritime strategy. The role of Iran in the framework of the ‘‘Persian World’’ project, which presupposes rivalry with Turkey, is outlined. Discussion and Conclusion. The dynamics of current military and political events demonstrate that the world is rapidly plunging into global conflict. One of the key areas of this plunging is the Black Sea region of global and regional politics. Identifying and studying the geopolitical projects of global and regional powers in this space will help us understand and shape national interests in this region, which is crucial to Russia's national security