‘Steppe-ing’ Out of Russia’s Shadow: Russia’s Changing ‘Energy Power’ in Post-Soviet Eurasia
Journal: Europe Asia Studies
Year: 2022

This essay analyses the evolving character of Russia's energy relationships in the post-Soviet space by looking at the Caucasus and Central Asia. In the past, due to the historic legacy of Russia-controlled pipelines, Moscow was able to exert influence by manipulating structural asymmetries in regional natural gas value chains. This has changed with China's entry as the region's major market alternative and the breakthroughs of the global energy transition. The initial phase of Russia's declinin