Anis H. Bajrektarevic is a Professor and a Chairperson for International Law and Global

INTERESTS & INFLUENCES OF MAJOR EXTERNAL ACTORS IN CENTRAL ASIA
66

---

RuSSIA
The Russian Federation undoubtedly has the
longest shared history and the longest relation-
ship with the Central Asian countries, dating
back to the 18th century when the Tsarist Em-
pire slowly but gradually expanded its empire
southwards via Kazakhstan into Central Asia.
During the post-Soviet period, Russia did not
care a lot about Central Asia, but when Putin
became President, the Russian policy towards
Central Asia rapidly changed, highlighting the
geostrategic importance of the region. Russia is
also interested in domestic stability and secu-
rity as well as concerns about Islamist extrem-
ism and terrorist movements in its near abroad
countries. Current Russian relations with the
Central Asian reflect the post-Soviet collapse re-
lationship: up and down with longer periods of
stability and cooperation.
Moreover Central Asian migrant workers play a
significant role as Russia’s economy, and is
somewhat dependent on unskilled and cheap
labor from Central Asia. Migrant workers from
Central Asia also rely upon the Russian labor
market to send back remittances to their home
countries (Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). 
Migrant laborers in Central Asia are also facing
an increasingly xenophobic, nationalistic, and
pro-Russian atmosphere which has resulted in
targeted discrimination and violence. Many mi-
grant workers have been killed by extremely vi-
olent and Nazi-inspired groups. The SOVA
Center in Russia keeps track of the violence.
President Vladimir Putin has condemned the
hate crimes publicly and has signed into law in
2002 legislation/criminal code provisions—Ar-
ticles 282 and Article 213 which criminalizes
hooliganism— against inciting racial enmity
and hate crimes. Like most Russian provisions
in the criminal code, the addition to the crimi-
nal code is vague and its enforcement and in-
terpretation is left up to an interpretative
judicial system. Many of the hate crimes have
been deemed hooliganism carrying a lesser
penalty. However, Putin has continued to dis-
criminate against homosexuals in the country
and those who support the Lesbian, Gay, Bisex-
ual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) alliance(s)
in Russia and has passed controversial anti-gay
legislation in 2013.
The contributions of Central Asian raw materials
towards Russia is shrinking, as Central Asian
countries seek alternatives and diverse pur-
chasers and investors to establish contracts
with new infrastructure networks and compa-
nies in order to become less dependent on Rus-
sia’s infrastructure investments.