Latest updates, insights, and analysis.
Russia is discussing visa-free arrangements with Bahrain, Kuwait and Malaysia. If approved, this would bring the number of countries that Russian nationals can travel to either visa-free or visa-on-arrival to 127.
Russian President Putin has met with Abkhazia’s President Badra Gunba in Moscow. Abkhazia is a semi-autonomous Black Sea state with a contested geopolitical status, limiting access to global financial institutions, multilateral development banks, and Western capital markets. However, Russia and Abkhazia are putting into place a 5 year development plan aimed to increase Abkhazia’s GDP by 60% in 2030 and to raise income levels to similar values as Russia. We discuss these plans and the implications.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with the South Ossetian President, Alan Gagloev, in Moscow. South Ossetia is a semi-autonomous, partially recognised state in the north Caucasus that ceded from Georgia in 2008. The South Ossetian economy is heavily reliant on Russia, however a new strategic development plan has been agreed that aims to increase the countries GDP by 60% by the end of 2030. We examine the details.
Russia’s President Putin has met with the recently elected president of Republika Srpska, Sinisa Karan. The Republika is a largely autonomous part of Bosnia & Herzegovina, an EU candidate state in the Balkans. Consequently, the geopolitical situation largely created by the breakup of Yugoslavia remains highly complicated. The Republika wishes to continue relations with Moscow at a time when Bosnia & Herzegovina and the European Union does not. We discuss the current state of play and the bilateral relations between Moscow and Banja Luka.
President Vladimir Putin has met with the Supreme Ruler of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim, who has been visiting Moscow. Malaysia is a BRICS partner state and has a US$4 billion+ trade turnover with Russia, with volumes also showing sustainable growth. Ibrahim invited Putin to a formal State visit to Malaysia during 2027.
Russia’s President Putin has met with the Laos President and a full senior government and business delegation in Moscow. The two sides are looking at ways to increase bilateral trade and solutions to Laos’ energy shortage problems, with oil and gas supplies likely to be sent via Vietnam. Bilateral trade doubled in 2025.
Russia is enhancing its marine section of the INSTC to better support transport and logistics links to Iran, with the Volga-Caspian route undergoing substantial improvements to better connect Russia’s southern Urals regions with markets in the Middle East. We provide a detailed overview of these extensive development plans.
Russia’s President Putin gave a detailed speech on May 9 (Victory Day) in which he discussed his thoughts and Russia’s strategy as concerns its immediate direction towards the Global South. He commented specifically about Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and China as well as Europe, and how he sees global developments pan out. This article will be of interest to all Russia-watchers, geostrategic analysts as well as politicians in the West and Global South.
Russian Oligarchs are now investing in primary targeted areas in the Russian economy and supply chains where previous reliance on Western imported products has now been shown to be unwise. We showcase an example within the agricultural support sector in the Bashkortostan Republic, within European Russia.
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has summoned the Ambassadors of all Latin American and Caribbean countries to meet in Moscow where the coordination of regional geopolitical efforts were discussed as well as mutual humanitarian support for Cuba given the US blockade of essential supplies to the country.
The CAREC group of Central Asian nations is to expedite their regional comprehensive and transparent regional cooperation mechanism to facilitate cross-border trade and investment. These will link with Russian and Chinese digital logistics networks to the east and west and further enhance multilateral, Eurasian trade efficiencies.
The United States has effectively sanctioned Russia out of the European lubricants and engine oil markets by insisting that Gazprom Neft sell its stakes in Serbia’s NIS. This will make Europe more dependent on alternative American sourced products typically costing four to five times more.
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