An RFE/RL analysis states Russia’s military buildup in the Black Sea has reconfigured the balance of power in the region. Russia has annexed Crimea and militarized the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, stymying the western course of Ukraine and Georgia. Moscow also has plans to spend $2.4 billion by 2020 on upgrading its Black Sea fleet. Now, Georgia cannot build a cargo port without fear of Moscow shutting it down, and NATO members Romania and Bulgaria cannot rely on naval support from other allies due to Russia’s Black Sea buildup.