Putin struggles to hold sway over former Soviet states

Russian President Vladimir Putin is having a di cult time trying to secure in uence within the former Soviet states, which Moscow has long viewed as areas where it still held sway, as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit meeting came to an end on Sept.16.

Moscow’s struggle is the result of Kazakhstan and other former Soviet countries distancing themselves from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. To make matters worse, armed clashes involving former Soviet members have recently erupted one a er another, shaking the security led by the Russian military.

e RIA news agency posted a video of Putin waiting for Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to arrive at the venue for the Sept. 15 bilateral talks. Putin greeted his counterpart, who was late, with a big smile.

Putin is notorious for being late for meetings with world dignitaries, including with Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Sept. 8. However, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where the summit was being held, he behaved humbly toward the leaders of the former Soviet nations.

On Sept. 15, Putin held talks with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and awarded him with a medal for his e orts to strengthen relations with Russia.

Putin is known for his tough demeanor, but his recent behavior is a sign that some leaders of the former Soviet states are trying to distance themselves from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Among them is Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June. Joining Putin at a plenary session, Tokayev declared that he did not recognize the area in eastern

Ukraine e ectively controlled by pro-Russia forces as an o cial state, criticizing Moscow’s unilateral recognition of the region as a state. Tokayev has also been actively seeking to strengthen ties with China and Europe.

e situation among the former Soviet states is also becoming unstable. According to TASS and other news agencies, there have been a series of clashes involving border patrol guards in the region between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan since Sept. 14.

e Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. policy research institute, said in its assessment released Sept. 15 that the uptick in violence between Tajikistan

and Kyrgyzstan occurred as a result of Russia’s decision to deploy soldiers from its military bases in the two countries to the frontlines in Ukraine.

Large-scale military clashes have also recently erupted on the border between Azerbaijan and Russia’s ally Armenia. It is widely understood that Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s support, took advantage of Russia being heavily focused on invading Ukraine and attacked Armenia.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly scheduled to visit Armenia soon, likely further intensifying the struggle for in uence over the former Soviet bloc. (Sept. 18)