As Ukraine fights back, every other ex-Soviet republic but Belarus distances itself from Moscow.
Russia has claimed for decades that most of the former Soviet republics constitute what Moscow calls its “near abroad.” These nations in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia may technically be independent, but Russia believes it retains the right to interfere in, and even invade, them.
This view long predates Vladimir Putin’s rise, beginning early in the post-Soviet period. Such regional hegemony is vital to Mr. Putin’s obsessive efforts to restore Russia to great-power status. It’s a view that many American presidents seem to have shared, happy to have Russia serve as a regional hegemon. This includes such figures as Bill Clinton, who pressured Kazakhstan and Ukraine to give up their nuclear weapons to Russia, and Barack Obama, who turned a blind eye to Russia’s invasion of Georgia and soft-walked a response to Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
Years into Mr. Putin’s failed war in Ukraine, however, Russia’s dreams of becoming a great power are a fantasy. Russia is no longer even a primary regional power in areas it once lorded over.
