This paper considers Russian foreign policy and its impact on the world political order as a whole. It points out the key actors, events, ideas and relations which shaped Russian foreign policy with a particular emphasis on the modern era. Realism is the theory used when viewing and interpreting Russian foreign policy. The end of the Cold War and the rise to power of Vladimir Putin could be considered some of the key events for the formation of the Russian state in the period after the fall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). To a great extent, Russia inherits the legacy of the USSR, which leaves an important mark on the formation of relations with the other political actors, as well as the defining of Russian interests in the newly formed situation. The perception of the expansion of NATO also impacts the goals of Russian foreign policy. The paper will analyse Russian interventions on a number of continents (Africa, Asia, Europe) and in a number of countries (Central African Republic, Syria, Ukraine) and through that analysis, will endeavour to detect and point out Russian interests and modus operandi, as well determine the consistency of its foreign policy during the 21st century.