Russia in Central Asia

The Russian-led CSTO military bloc has faced a critical test in the region.

A more integrated region will be richer, stabler, and more secure -- and countries won’t have to contemplate using their sovereignty as collateral.  

Despite its economic clout in Kazakhstan, Beijing has had far less political leverage than Moscow.

Far from causing friction, Russia’s intervention in Kazakhstan shows the durability of the Sino-Russian relationship.

30 years on from the dissolution of the USSR, Central Asian states are a case study in hedging and balancing between global superpowers.

Among Russian officials, 2021 was a year of heightened sensitivity to the Russian language in Central Asia.

A prominent Russian analyst thinks the high point of Sino-Russian cooperation has passed.

A new Wall Street Journal report suggests that Putin offered Russian bases for the U.S. to use to monitor Afghanistan. It’s not at all clear if the offer was genuine. 

Moscow is also reported to be open to some kind of cooperation with the U.S., though far short of American bases in Central Asia.

With Afghan forces fleeing into Tajikistan and the Taliban managing a border crossing, Dushanbe has reportedly called on its CSTO partners for aid.

Five months after controversial comments regarding Kazakh territory, Lavrov dismisses them as coming from deputies “chasing after sensations.”

The Russian presence in Central Asia, predicated on the threats from Afghanistan, stymies the political and economic development of the region.