ABSTRACT
The continuous use of the concept of sphere of influence in political language, in particular, as a means to shame and blame Russia, testifies to its importance. Yet, the concept in which one finds inscribed the orbit metaphor of territorial influence spilling over state borders has been left unexamined since the end of the Cold War. The historical meaning of the concept of sphere of influence is drawn from the memory of the Cold War, which imbues the concept with pejorative associations. There is a silent agreement on this pejorative pall, which means that IR has settled the normative question without even beginning to discuss it. In order to end the silence on spheres of influence I have tried to contest the concept though historical sources.
