Russia’s contemporary relationship with violent non-state actors has been at the forefront of news due to the conflict in Ukraine. Despite the international shock at this phenomenon, this is an age-old practice for Russia. Since the 17th century, the Russian state has developed a strategy of utilizing violent non-state actors in order to achieve its geopolitical objectives that consist of expanding its territory, extending its influence abroad, and weakening the capabilities of adversaries. While this strategy seems clear-cut, it contains a rich history of Russia trying to manage its relationship with non-state actors from a position of weakness and strength. In this project, I will explore how Russia has employed violent non-state actors and determine if this relationship has been beneficial or detrimental to the interests of the Russian state across time.
","abstract_html":"<p>Russia’s contemporary relationship with violent non-state actors has been at the forefront of news due to the conflict in Ukraine. Despite the international shock at this phenomenon, this is an age-old practice for Russia. Since the 17<sup>th</sup> century, the Russian state has developed a strategy of utilizing violent non-state actors in order to achieve its geopolitical objectives that consist of expanding its territory, extending its influence abroad, and weakening the capabilities of adversaries. While this strategy seems clear-cut, it contains a rich history of Russia trying to manage its relationship with non-state actors from a position of weakness and strength. In this project, I will explore how Russia has employed violent non-state actors and determine if this relationship has been beneficial or detrimental to the interests of the Russian state across time.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Castro, Justin"],"institution":"The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York","degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master","degree_discipline":"Political Science","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Peter Romaniuk"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:39Z","subjects":["Comparative Politics","Defense and Security Studies","Russia","Violent Non-State Actors"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6252","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Peter Romaniuk"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Castro, Justin"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-04-29T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Political Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Comparative Politics","Defense and Security Studies","Russia","Violent Non-State Actors"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6252"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Russia’s contemporary relationship with violent non-state actors has been at the forefront of news due to the conflict in Ukraine. Despite the international shock at this phenomenon, this is an age-old practice for Russia. Since the 17th century, the Russian state has developed a strategy of utilizing violent non-state actors in order to achieve its geopolitical objectives that consist of expanding its territory, extending its influence abroad, and weakening the capabilities of adversaries. While this strategy seems clear-cut, it contains a rich history of Russia trying to manage its relationship with non-state actors from a position of weakness and strength. In this project, I will explore how Russia has employed violent non-state actors and determine if this relationship has been beneficial or detrimental to the interests of the Russian state across time.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Unholy Matrimony: Russia and Violent Non-State Actors"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Peter Romaniuk"],"dc:creator":["Castro, Justin"],"dc:date.available":["2025-04-29T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Russia’s contemporary relationship with violent non-state actors has been at the forefront of news due to the conflict in Ukraine. Despite the international shock at this phenomenon, this is an age-old practice for Russia. Since the 17th century, the Russian state has developed a strategy of utilizing violent non-state actors in order to achieve its geopolitical objectives that consist of expanding its territory, extending its influence abroad, and weakening the capabilities of adversaries. While this strategy seems clear-cut, it contains a rich history of Russia trying to manage its relationship with non-state actors from a position of weakness and strength. In this project, I will explore how Russia has employed violent non-state actors and determine if this relationship has been beneficial or detrimental to the interests of the Russian state across time.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6252"],"dc:subject":["Comparative Politics","Defense and Security Studies","Russia","Violent Non-State Actors"],"dc:title":["The Unholy Matrimony: Russia and Violent Non-State Actors"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Political Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:39Z"}