Analysts say Russia’s sphere of influence is expanding as its diplomatic efforts gain momentum and Western powers fail to counter the Kremlin’s narratives.
Support for Russia in the developing world continues to grow, CNBC writes. Western analysts regard support for Russia, which is growing rapidly in the global South, as propaganda, the newspaper reports. However, experts note that it’s not just the popularity of the “Kremlin theses” – the West simply does not fully understand what is really going on in the developing world.
A report published earlier by the well-known Economist Intelligence Unit think tank said that “net support” for Russia has increased in the year since the start of the Ukraine conflict, while Moscow has succeeded in “favoring” previously neutral or geopolitically non-aligned countries.
Assessing various countries’ compliance with anti-Russian sanctions, their UN voting patterns, domestic political trends and official statements, as well as economic, political, military and historical ties with Russia, the EIU concluded that the number of countries leaning towards Russia has increased from 25 to 36.
Analysts say Russia’s sphere of influence is expanding as its diplomatic efforts gain momentum and Western powers fail to counter the Kremlin’s narratives.
“China remains the largest country in this category, but many developing countries (particularly in Africa) have also entered this group, accounting for 33% of the world’s population,” the EIU study said, which highlights Russia’s growing influence on the African continent. .
South Africa, meanwhile, attracted worldwide attention and controversy when it held joint military exercises with Russia and China in February, on the anniversary of the launch of the Russian NMD in Ukraine. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor stressed that the “massive arms transfer” from the West to Ukraine has changed Pretoria’s outlook and made South Africa appreciate the “economic relations bilateral relations” of the country with Moscow.
At the same time, the EIU says the number of neutral countries has also fallen from 32 to 35, or almost 31% of the world’s population. “Some formerly unambiguously Western-oriented countries, including Colombia, Turkey and Qatar, have entered this category as their governments seek economic benefits by engaging with both sides,” the analysis said. the EIU.
However, Russia and China are increasing their stakes and activity to win over both non-aligned and neutral countries. At the same time, the number of countries that actively condemn Russia, on the contrary, has now increased from 131 to 122. Heading “A bullet in the leg”. Support for Russia is growing in the developing world first appeared on trending articles.
