Replication Data for: Black knight as a strategic choice? Causes and modes of Russia’s support to the authoritarianism in Southern Caucasus

Despite recurring elections and the transition to multiparty systems, authoritarianism has re-emerged in the Post-Soviet Space. Along with domestic factors, the external dimension should also be considered to fully understand this regional trend. Scholars depict Russia as a typical ‘black knight’ for democracy. While most of the literature deals with the Kremlin’s policies in the ‘new’ Eastern Europe, this article pays attention to Russia’s actions in the relatively understudied Southern Caucasus. Specifically, it investigates why and how Moscow tried to thwart democratization in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The diachronic analysis addresses three periods, namely, Yeltsin’s presidency, the first Putin presidency and the Putin–Medvedev diarchy. Findings suggest that the Kremlin implemented an increasingly nuanced and intentional black knight strategy in Southern Caucasus, aimed at gaining primacy in the Post-Soviet Space and recognition of its great power status.尽管定期举行选举并向多党制转型，但威权主义在后苏联空间（Post-Soviet Space）再度复燃。若要全面理解这一地区性趋势，除国内因素外，外部维度也应纳入考量范畴。学者将俄罗斯塑造为民主进程中典型的黑骑士（black knight）形象。尽管多数研究文献聚焦于克里姆林宫在‘新东欧’地区的政策，但本文关注的是俄罗斯在相对缺乏学术关注的南高加索（Southern Caucasus）地区的行动。具体而言，本文旨在探究莫斯科为何以及如何试图阻挠亚美尼亚、阿塞拜疆与格鲁吉亚的民主化进程。本文采用历时分析方法，涵盖三个阶段：叶利钦总统任期、普京首届总统任期，以及普京-梅德韦杰夫双头政治时期。研究结果表明，克里姆林宫在南高加索地区实施了一套愈发精细化且带有明确目的性的黑骑士策略，以期在后苏联空间获取主导地位，并获得其大国地位的国际认可。