Russia

Russia is a major, globally significant power characterized by its role as a revisionist state that actively challenges the U.S.-led international order. Its contemporary identity is defined primarily by its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. This conflict has served as a critical turning point in global geopolitics, militarizing European defense policy, triggering extensive Western sanctions, and positioning Russia as a central antagonist to NATO and the European Union. As of 2025, Russia occupies approximately 20 percent of Ukrainian territory Russia occupies approximately 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, maintaining a wartime economy that has adapted to international isolation by deepening ties with other non-Western powers.

The core of Russia’s foreign policy is a commitment to multipolarity, which it pursues through pragmatic, transactional partnerships with nations such as China, Iran, and North Korea. These relationships are not formal alliances but are instead strategic alignments built on shared opposition to Western hegemony and the desire to circumvent sanctions. Russia has deepened its military cooperation with Iran—including the acquisition of drones for use in Ukraine Iranian drones—and maintains a "no limits" partnership with China to weaken U.S.-led initiatives. While Russia often acts as a strategic counterweight to the United States in the Middle East, its influence is constrained by its preoccupation with the war in Ukraine and a lack of deep, ideological convergence with its partners on all regional issues.

Economically, Russia remains a vital, if disruptive, player in global markets. It is a major supplier of energy and agricultural goods, particularly wheat, upon which many nations in the Global South, such as Somalia, are heavily dependent Somalia imports all of its wheat supply from Russia. Russia has leveraged these dependencies and its influence within OPEC+ to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions. However, its energy infrastructure has also become a target, with significant portions of its oil export capacity impacted by the ongoing conflict Nearly forty percent of Russia’s oil export capacity has been halted.

Russia’s security posture is marked by high-stakes nuclear signaling and a rejection of the existing rules-based order. In late 2024, the Russian leadership updated its nuclear doctrine to allow for potential nuclear responses to conventional attacks by allies of nuclear states Vladimir Putin updated Russia's nuclear doctrine. This assertiveness is viewed by Eastern European and Baltic states as an existential threat existential threat, driving a significant shift in European security architecture. Despite its diplomatic participation in historical frameworks like the P5+1 nuclear negotiations with Iran, Russia’s current trajectory is defined by its role as a belligerent power seeking to reclaim regional dominance and reshape the global balance of power.