Montenegro–Russia relations (; Montenegrin: rusko-crnogorski odnosi / руско-црногорски односи) are foreign relations between Montenegro and Russia. Montenegro has an embassy in Moscow and Russia has an embassy in Podgorica.
History
Early modern period
Owing to Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711), the position of Serbian militiamen in the Military Frontier of the Habsburg monarchy was endangered. In 1704 the first Serbian attempts were made to offer their services to Imperial Russia in the latter's struggle against the Ottomans. Prior to the beginning of the Russo-Turkish War (1710–11) Russian emperor Peter the Great invited Serbian militiamen and Serbs in general to join the Russian forces. In 1711 the third delegation sent to Russia by metropolitan Danilo arrived in St. Petersburg. The first Russian delegation to Montenegro arrived on 3 March 1711. Peter the Great called the Balkan Orthodox to rise up against the Ottomans during the Pruth River Campaign.
In 1715–16, Montenegrin metropolitan Danilo I travelled to St. Petersburg from where he returned in April 1716 with two diplomas signed by Emperor Peter the Great, the first which obliged the Montenegrins to aid the Russians in case of war with the Ottomans, the second an annual aid of 500 rubels to the Cetinje Monastery.
Šćepan Mali was an impostor of Peter III of Russia who sought to rule Montenegro. He supported Sava Petrović as bishop when the Montenegrin tribes supported Arsenije Plamenac.
During the office of Metropolitan Petar I, he and guvernadur Jovan Radonjić were the two head chiefs of Montenegro, one by title, the other according to actual position. The two clashed in international politics: the Metropolitan held to Russia, while Jovan relied on Austria. On the question whether to support Austria or not, the two sides conflicted during the Austro-Turkish War (1787–91) and Russo-Turkish War (1787–92).
19th century to 1918
The Russian Empire opened a consulate in Kotor in the Habsburg monarchy in October 1804. It was to serve as "protection of the people of Montenegro and Brda". It was officially recognized by the Austrians that same month. Among active Russian emissaries in Montenegro were Mazurevsky (the deputy) and Marko Ivelić. In 1806, the Russian–Montenegrin force under Dmitry Senyavin took Kotor, but handed it over to the French.
Petar I conceived a plan in 1807 to revive a Serbian Empire ("Slaveno–Serb empire"), which he informed the Russian court. It envisioned Russia as the suzerain; the title of Serbian emperor would be held by the Russian emperor. It was thwarted by the French–Russian peace treaty.
Nicholas I of Montenegro, the last king of Montenegro, exchanged support with the Russian monarchy. In 1868 he undertook a journey to Russia, where he received an affectionate welcome from the Tsar Alexander II. Two of King Nicholas's daughters were married to Romanov Grand Dukes, Princess Milica and Princess Anastasija. Under Nicholas I, Montenegro was an ally of Russia in the Russo-Japanese war. Volunteers from Montenegro were fighting in the Russian Army. In 2006 Japan recognized Montenegrin independence and declared an end to the war. A peace treaty was signed.
Yugoslav period
During that period both states were part of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, respectively.
NATO membership and escalation of tensions
A poll in July 2015 from the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, which received financial support from NATO, found that 36.6 percent supported membership, to 37.3 percent against, with sharp divisions between ethnic groups: 71.2 percent of Montenegrin Albanians and 68 percent of Montenegrin Bosniaks supported membership, while only 11.3 percent of Montenegrin Serbs did. In June 2015, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that low public support for NATO could affect whether Montenegro was able to join the alliance. In December 2015, the spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin said that Montenegro's accession to NATO was bound to result in "retaliatory actions".
In October 2016 a Russian backed group of Serbians plotted to storm the parliament and assassinate Milo Đukanović, the then-prime minister, to mount a coup with opposition parties and thwart the plan to join NATO. The plot was uncovered and 14 people, including two alleged members of Russian intelligence services were charged, tried and sentenced to long terms in prison.