Russian Federation’s Military Policy in Central Asia in the XXI Century

The aim of this research is to comprehensively analyze Russia’s military policy in Central Asia from 2000 to February 2022. Additionally, the study tests the hypothesis that the growth of Russia’s material power and the strengthening of its position in the international arena will lead Moscow to seek dominance in the region, including in the military sphere. The author considers the geopolitical position of the Russian Federation at the beginning of the XXI century and after 2013, enabling an analysis of the relationship between Moscow’s position in the international arena and its policies in Central Asia. Special attention is given to analyzing the measures through which Moscow strengthens its influence in the region. The author highlights the following measures used by the Russian Federation: maintaining and strengthening its military infrastructure in the region, increasing arms exports to Central Asian states, increasing the number of bilateral and multilateral military exercises, expanding cooperation between the Russian military-industrial complex and counterparts in the countries of the region, creating joint air defense systems with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, providing free education in Russian military institutes for military personnel from Central Asia, and developing CSTO collective forces. The conclusions state that, due to its growing material power and more active foreign policy in the post-Soviet space, Russia has re-emerged as a leading security partner for Central Asian states.