Russia is losing influence in its “own” regions
Kazakhstan has begun construction of a thermal power plant (TPP) in Kokshetau without the involvement of russian partners. According to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, the country decided not to wait for the promised russian funding and took the project into its own hands.
▫️ This decision is symbolic, as until recently moscow — through the company Inter RAO — planned to build three TPPs in Kazakhstan. However, delays on russia’s part, particularly in funding and equipment delivery, forced the Kazakh authorities to change course. If russia continues to remain inactive, Kazakhstan is ready to implement the other two projects — in Semey and Ust-Kamenogorsk — without its involvement as well.
kremlin has long used large-scale energy projects abroad as tools of influence — both geopolitical and economic. But today, russia can no longer maintain these levers: sanctions, war-related expenses, and the loss of partners’ trust are making it increasingly unattractive even to its closest allies.
Earlier, the Center reported on the crisis at russia’s strategic project in Turkey — Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant — where russian workers haven’t been paid since May, and the total number of personnel has dropped fourfold. The loss of such strategic projects is not just an economic defeat but a sign of the collapse of kremlin’s foreign policy model based on energy and money.
