Sport as an instrument of Russia's "soft power" under international restrictions

The article is devoted to the analysis of sport as the most important tool for implementing the concept of "soft power" of the Russian Federation in the system of modern international relations. The focus is on the role of sports diplomacy in shaping Russia's positive image on the world stage, as well as the transformation of its functions in the face of sanctions pressure and politicization of sports. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the largest sports projects – the Olympic Games in Sochi (2014) and the FIFA World Cup (2018) – as examples of successful use of sports to strengthen the country's foreign policy prestige. The article examines the current challenges associated with the introduction of the neutral status of Russian athletes, the restriction of the use of national symbols and the growing number of cases of changing sports citizenship, which indicates a profound transformation of the international sports space and a decrease in Russia's ability to realize the potential of "soft power". The research is based on systematic, institutional and comparative analytical approaches, as well as on the case study method used in the analysis of specific international sporting events and political and legal decisions. The scientific novelty of the article lies in a comprehensive assessment of the current state of Russian sports diplomacy through the prism of the concept of "soft power" in conditions of international isolation. It is shown that sport, which previously acted as an effective tool for shaping the national image, was influenced by political factors, which led to an institutional crisis of the Olympic movement and a revision of the principles of neutrality. The article substantiates that the introduction of the neutral status of Russian athletes and restrictions on their participation in competitions have turned into a form of political pressure that violates the foundations of sports equality. It is concluded that, despite external barriers, Russia retains the potential of "soft power" through the development of domestic sports projects, the expansion of international initiatives outside Western institutions (BRICS, "Games of the Future") and the preservation of cultural influence through sports as a symbol of national identity.