The relevance of the work is determined, among other things, by the fact that the author covers the latest geopolitical factors, namely the Russian full-scale aggression in Ukraine, in order to determine specific signs of its influence on the defense policy of Sweden and Norway and their relations with the Russian Federation. We explore the role of the studied states in the formation of the collective regional dimension of international relations in Northern Europe and the Arctic within the framework of the dissertation.The object of the study is the bilateral relations of the Russian Federation with the Scandinavian countries on the example of Sweden and Norway. The aim of the dissertation is to study the security aspects of relations between the Russian Federation and the Scandinavian countries (using the example of Sweden and Norway).In the process of writing the dissertation, we used such approaches to scientific research as: systematic, dialectical, structural-functional, historical. Among the principles of scientific research, the principles of objectivity, interdisciplinarity, as well as the principle of combining the historical and logical are applied within the framework of the dissertation. The methodological component of the dissertation work was implemented by combining general scientific and political science research methods.The novelty of the dissertation consists in the actualization of the security aspect of Russia's relations with Sweden and Norway in this triangle of parties with an emphasis on a comparative approach between the policy of the Northern European states themselves in the field of security and towards Russia, as well as the latter's policy towards the above-mentioned Scandinavian countries. The novelty of a theoretical and methodological nature consists in adapting the concept of the regional security complex of B. Buzan, as well as the theory of securitization and the theory of sectors of representatives of the Copenhagen School of International Relations, in order to study the security aspect of Russian-Scandinavian relations.The scientific work can serve as a basis for further studies of security trends in the development of international relations in the European north, the role of Russia in the security and defense policy of the Scandinavian countries, and related aspects of scientific intelligence in the relevant direction. The dissertation materials can be useful in the work of research and information-analytical institutions that specialize in the study of issues of international relations, political processes, security and defense, etc. Certain aspects and the factual part of the research can be used in the development of educational materials, in particular for such courses as: "Country Studies", "Introduction to Regional Studies", "History of International Relations", "International Relations and World Politics", "Political Geography", "Foreign Policy of the CIS Countries". The results of this scientific work can be useful in the activities of state bodies, specialized ministries, and non-governmental organizations that operate in the field of a wide range of foreign policy spheres.
