Russian actions since 2007 appear increasingly to constitute a realist approach to international affairs. Russia appears to be behaving as a rising power, attempting to become a regional or global superpower. Essential to this pursuit, a state must gather information strategically. We examine one feature of strategic information gathering, called a test, a state action that asserts power but also garners information as it elicits a global response. Through a test framework, we provide a realist explanation to understanding Russia’s foreign affairs and its pursuit of power in the near abroad, Western Europe, Middle East, Asia, and foreign elections.

自2007年以来，俄罗斯的行动似乎越来越构成一种现实的国际事务方法。俄罗斯似乎正在表现为一个崛起的大国，试图成为区域或全球超级大国。对于这一追求至关重要的是，一个国家必须从战略上收集信息。我们研究了战略信息收集的一个特征，称为测试，这是一种宣称权力的国家行动，但在引发全球性回应时也能获得信息。通过测试框架，我们提供了现实的解释，以了解俄罗斯的外交事务及其在近国，西欧，中东，亚洲和外国选举中的权力追求。