Dynamics of Russia’s International Relations with the CIS Countries: Long-term Trends and Prospects

The purpose and objectives of the article. The article is aimed at revealing and substantiating the main trends in the development of bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the CIS member states. It is shown that the Commonwealth as an integration project has repeatedly changed its purpose: initially created as an alternative to the processes of disintegration, it became the basis of multilateral relations between the former Soviet republics. When writing the article, the following tasks were solved: a comparison of Russia’s bilateral relations with the CIS countries was carried out; the modern role of the CIS as a regional association was analyzed.; Promising areas for the development of bilateral relations are highlighted. Methodology . The research is based on: structural analysis (generalization and systematization of economic information); comparative legal method (comparison of normative legal acts); systematic approach (comprehensive analysis of issues). Results . It is revealed that the Russian Federation has formed an asymmetrical but important relationship with the CIS countries. Differences in economies and territorial scales make Russian leadership virtually uncontested. The CIS has significantly moved away from the original idea: if at the beginning the Commonwealth was the only platform for bilateral relations, today the Russian Federation can play a different role in relations with each country. The participation of the Russian side (government and business) in local infrastructure projects is of key importance. For Russia, such cooperation is important to circumvent sanctions, develop business and infrastructure; for other CIS countries, it is important to attract investment and technology