Abstract
<jats:p>The article makes a focus on the dynamics of Russian-Turkish relations after the second Karabakh war. 2020 was a vital year for Ankara, because being in a bad economic situation, as well as involved in various conflicts in different corners of the world, Turkey still managed to act as a new regional superpower and increase its role in the South Caucasus. Turkey is a vivid example of how by developing and implementing the right strategy, not possessing the necessary natural resources, having many problems within the country, the country can increase its role on several platforms and even present ambitions to be included in the global governance system. Turkey opposed the established international relations at a strategic level, putting forward the “World Is Bigger than Five” standpoint. At the regional level, by combining “soft power” with “hard power”, Ankara was breaking the established balance and increasing its presence as a result. Russian-Turkish relations have been analyzed in the context of concepts adopted by Turkey, as well as in the context of “offensive realism” and “strategic balancing” theories. It has been described how, by implementing a more active policy after 2016, Ankara managed to prevent anti-Turkish coalitions, balance regional rivals, and, if necessary, also ally with them.</jats:p>