Even if Russia Formally Retains Its Current Borders, Chinese Neo-Colonialism in Some Places There Likely to Be Entrenched by 2030, Musiyenko Says

Paul Goble     

            Staunton, Feb. 6 – Even if Russia manages to formally retain its current borders into the next decade, Moscow will lose effective control over many parts of the country because of the expansion of Chinese neo-colonialism, according to Oleksandr Musiyenko, head of Kyiv’s Center for Military-Legal Research.

            In his view, Russia is likely to develop along one of three scenarios as it approaches the 2030s: preservation of its current borders at the cost of continuing economic and political decline, the rise of full-blown fascism, or the loss of Moscow’s control over regions and republics either formally or informally (charter97.org/ru/news/2024/2/6/582471/).

            Musiyenko argues that some of that loss of control will arise as a result both of national and regional movements for greater autonomy or even independence and of the radical expansion of Chinese influence and control over many of them, even if they remain formally part of the Russian Federation.

            Such Chinese neo-colonialism will change Russia almost as much as the national and regional movements although it may not be apparent to everyone because while Beijing will effectively seize control over part of Russia and restrict Moscow’s freedom of action, this development will not be accompanied by the formal loss of territory.