With a series of recent visits by high-level officials and delegations, Russia has sent out a clear message that it plans to strengthen its presence in Bosnia.

This comes as tensions between Russia and the West over Syria reach levels unseen since the Cold War, but also at a moment when Bosnia and Herzegovina, like other Balkan countries, faces new ethnic, political and social challenges.

While many local and Western pundits express concern over Russia’s growing engagement in the Balkans, they mostly blame the waning presence of the EU and the US in the region for the greater involvement of Russia, and of other “illiberal” powers, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Other experts stress that, on the new polycentric map of the world, once clear lines between “good guys” and “bad guys” are increasingly blurred.