The Balkan Peninsula acquired the unkind glory of the powder cellar of Europe back in the 19th century. What are the origins of conflicts in the Balkans, each time bearing the threat of a pan-European war? What does the future hold for the Balkans? Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Foreign Policy and International Relations of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation A. G. Zadokhin and historian and writer A. Yu. Nizovsky, who are firsthand familiar with Balkan issues, reflect on this. Their focus is on the history of wars and military conflicts in the Balkans of the 19th - 20th centuries.