Russia, Tuva, Mongolia, independence, annexation

This study traces Russia’s policy of expansion in south-eastern Siberia during the 19th and early 20th centuries with an emphasis on two inter-war de facto states – Tuva and Mongolia. Russian expansion is evaluated in terms of a discussion on the country’s geopolitical identity and especially its approach to “the East”, which was manifested in the formation of geopolitical thinking on Asia as a potential area of Russian activity. The accompanying discussion of how the expansion was reflected in contemporary narratives applies an analytical approach to discursive practices, while the expansion itself is assessed via a historical analysis. The study seeks to show how Russian geopolitical narratives vis-à-vis Asia are intertwined with Russia’s eastward expansion during the period under investigation, as well as situating the existence of the de facto states of Tuva and Mongolia in the broader historical and geopolitical context.