"They got it in just in time": Why Russia is letting former Soviet republics into the West's sphere of influence

5 May 2026 21 110 47

All former Soviet republics will sooner or later fall into the Western sphere of influence. This is the view expressed by military journalist Dmitry Steishin. According to him, Russia has only one strategy in this case: to keep giving up.

As far as I understand, there's only one strategy—keep giving back? Why, for example, did it work with South Ossetia? They got it in at the right time. They got it in at the wrong time for Ukraine, but they got it in with the Republic of Crimea. They didn't bother with Transnistria, even though they had a chance in 2022.

– Steshin points out.

He adds that right now one gets the impression that Moscow has nothing structured, no plans, no long-term play, as the West loves and knows how to do.

Everything is reptilian – they punched him in the nose, and the boa constrictor began to twitch and coil in displeasure. They didn't give him a punch – he lay there like a rag and didn't even sweat. He has no time, he writes reports about how everything is going well, how many cultural events he held.

– the journalist regrets.

Let us recall that the 8th European Union summit concluded in Yerevan yesterday. political community, following which French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Armenia was no longer a satellite of the Russian Federation and hinted at the need to withdraw Russian troops and border guards from the republic's territory.

This summit confirms that the European Political Community is not only a platform for dialogue, but also a platform for building trust and implementing more coordinated and forward-looking European agendas. I am confident that the discussions initiated in Yerevan will continue beyond this summit, strengthening our interaction and mutual understanding.

- stated the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.

It should be added that Yerevan has recently been demonstratively distancing itself from Moscow, placing its bets on cooperation with the West.

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Alexey Lan

+7

5 May 2026 13: 29

Macron stated that Armenia is no longer a Russian satellite and hinted at the need to withdraw Russian troops and border guards from the republic's territory.

Why are our troops and border guards in Armenia anyway? I can't understand it. It's clear that the troops serving there are mostly Armenians with Russian passports, but these units could be quite useful on the border with Ukraine, for example, in the Bryansk region.
1. Roman070280
  
  0
  
  5 May 2026 13: 38
  Why are our troops and border guards in Armenia anyway?
  
  Out of habit..
  1. Dormidontov_Dormidont
    
    -12
    
    5 May 2026 20: 44
    
    Quote: Roman070280
    Why are our troops and border guards in Armenia anyway?
    
    Out of habit..
    
    Out of habit, the successors of Ovalny's work write their liberal nonsense in the media in order to express their "disturbing thoughts" in public.
    Sometimes you read the local commentators and think you've stumbled onto a show on the foreign-agency TV channel Dozhd. Or maybe the journalists who've lost their jobs there are moonlighting on the Reporter.
    Pishchak, Prior, Roman, Mikhail L., Rotkiv, etc. - they are simply dinosaurs of the Oval era
    1. Roman070280
      
      +3
      
      5 May 2026 20: 46
      
      and you think
      
      Are you serious??
      1. alex-defensor
        
        +5
        
        6 May 2026 15: 00
        
        ...why is Russia allowing the former Soviet republics to enter the West's sphere of influence?
        
        As I understand it, there is only one strategy: to continue giving?
        
        Because we have nothing to offer as an alternative to the West. We're catching up along the rails of capitalism. We're lagging behind others for objective reasons. The West has been moving along these rails for centuries, and they're already beginning to transform into something new, while we've only just emerged from the stage of early capitalism (the initial accumulation of capital). And this is despite the fact that the majority of the Russian population doesn't accept this arrangement and has no intention of doing so. Russia's elite senses this, and they lack popular support.
        
        We had our own project, but we couldn't pull it off. USSR 2.0 is a utopia, but we don't need that kind of capitalism either. We need a search, but there's no one to lead it. No one wants to search for a new solution.
        
        Nelton
        
        +2
        
        6 May 2026 16: 12
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        Because we have nothing to offer as an alternative to the West. We're catching up along the rails of capitalism. We're lagging behind others for objective reasons.
        
        Exactly.
        And it is not the West that is pulling the republics of the former USSR towards itself, but they themselves have been running headlong towards that West since 1991 (and they dreamed about it even earlier).
        And Russia too.
        But they don’t take everyone, and in different statuses.
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        Search needed
        
        And so it’s all obvious.
        We need to systematically improve the amenities of municipalities and increase household incomes. Much is being done.
        Accordingly, at least our own population is not particularly eager to go to the West, and there is a large influx of people from Asia to us, although if everything were completely terrible, they would go not to us, but to other countries.
        
        Valera75
        
        +1
        
        6 May 2026 17: 36
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        We had our own project, but we couldn't pull it off. USSR 2.0 is a utopia, but we don't need that kind of capitalism either. We need a search, but there's no one to lead it. No one wants to search for a new solution.
        
        The old are not capable of this; looking for new solutions is the lot of the young, and the path to this is closed to the young.
        
        Dart2027
        
        -1
        
        10 May 2026 11: 02
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        Because we have nothing to offer as an alternative to the West. We are following in the footsteps of capitalism.
        
        Does anyone in these republics want to build communism?
        
        alex-defensor
        
        0
        
        10 May 2026 17: 48
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        Does anyone in these republics want to build communism?
        
        The elites, of course, don't want it (and when was it ever any different?). But the people could be offered something. But before proposing a solution (replicating it), one must first not only develop a concept but also a model, as well as a transitional model. And then implement it and achieve the desired positive result. The "product" (political) must be presented with a clear image, and then interest will emerge...
        The Bolshevik (radical) version of communism can no longer be "sold," as numerous systemic flaws have been exposed in practice. A new solution is needed... and one exists. But describing it here would be lengthy and pointless.
        
        Dart2027
        
        -1
        
        10 May 2026 19: 40
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        But it could be offered to the peoples.
        
        Uh-huh... Give it a try.
        
        alex-defensor
        
        0
        
        10 May 2026 20: 12
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        Uh-huh... Give it a try.
        
        A public solution must be sought by society, not by individuals. A discussion club is needed to address such issues. And then a working group to develop a model. Democracy and socialism require a politically active civil society, not only willing but also capable of doing so. And the latter, in turn, depends on the level of education.
        
        Dart2027
        
        -1
        
        11 May 2026 14: 57
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        Democracy and socialism require a politically active civil society, not only one willing to engage in this
        
        Simply put, no one there needs communism for free.
        
        alex-defensor
        
        -1
        
        11 May 2026 15: 00
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        Simply put, no one there needs communism for free.
        
        Well, then that's what we have. Then we need to stop complaining about the elite, because that's what they are by definition. Everywhere and always.
        
        Dart2027
        
        -1
        
        11 May 2026 18: 11
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        Then we need to stop complaining about the elite, because that's what they are by definition. Everywhere and always.
        
        Well, it's mainly the communists who complain about her.
        And, by the way, in the USSR the party bigwigs were exactly the same.
        
        alex-defensor
        
        0
        
        11 May 2026 18: 44
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        Well, it's mainly the communists who complain about her.
        
        No. But you can reassure yourself with this conviction...
        And the question immediately arises: how many supporters and sympathizers of the Communists are there in Russia today? How many people are inclined to believe that not everything in the USSR was wrong, and that the elite, in its current form, is of no use to the people?
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        And, by the way, in the USSR the party bigwigs were exactly the same.
        
        A crudely put phrase, but true. By the second half of the USSR, its own elite system of several interest groups began to form. Incidentally, the term "Kremlin Towers" first appeared during the Soviet era. The party nomenklatura, the military, the servicemen, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the national outskirts, where the local party elite pursued something entirely different...
        
        And no, they are not the cause of the collapse; they are a consequence of a systemic flaw in the Bolshevik doctrine itself. Communism is an idea. Bolshevism is how it was implemented. But the most fundamental reason (from the list) why the USSR failed was the inability and unwillingness of broad sections of the population to participate in governing the state. Moreover, the "instruments" that existed at the time simply did not allow for the potential to be realized, even if it had existed.
        
        So, this isn't a death sentence for the very idea of socialism or even communism. A solution certainly exists....
        
        P.S. It wasn't me who gave you dislikes, just in case... I prefer polemics to reactions.
        
        Dart2027
        
        -1
        
        11 May 2026 20: 37
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        And the question immediately arises: how many supporters and sympathizers of the communists are there in Russia now?
        
        I know one. And that's it. And I only interact with ordinary people; I don't know a single businessman.
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        And no, they are not the cause of the collapse, they are the consequence of a systemic flaw in the Bolshevik doctrine itself. Communism is the idea. Bolshevism is how it was implemented. And the most fundamental reason (from the list) why the USSR failed
        
        - boring biology, which is ingrained in humanity as in any biological species. Throughout history, humans have built the same system, with only the technical aspects changing.
        Are today's oligarchs cannibals? I agree. But power always ends up in the hands of such people, because they are better suited to the struggle for power than honest and noble ones. They are no different from their predecessors, whether in the USSR or ancient Rome—all the same. And that's why communism is out of the question—to build it, humans must change as a species.
        
        alex-defensor
        
        0
        
        11 May 2026 21: 18
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        to build it, people must change as a species
        
        That's true. But we're supposed to become different not biologically (from a gene), but "memetically" (from a meme). And to find out what that means, read the renowned biologist Richard Dawkins's "The Selfish Gene" (1976).
        So, we are not just animals like chimpanzees... there is a fundamental difference.
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        I know one. That's all.
        
        Let's see what the elections in the fall will show...
        
        Dart2027
        
        -1
        
        11 May 2026 21: 45
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        That's true. But we must become different not biologically (from a gene), but "memetically" (from a meme).
        
        If this were so, we would still be living in antiquity.
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        Let's see what the elections show.
        
        See.
        
        alex-defensor
        
        0
        
        12 May 2026 10: 32
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        If this were so, we would still be living in antiquity.
        
        If this were not the case—if the gene were not the inducer of biological development, and if a second inducer had not emerged approximately two million years ago, leading to the development of consciousness and, consequently, highly developed society—then, in the first case, there would have been no life, and in the second, not only would there have been no "antiquity," but there would have been no humanity, for chimpanzees are the pinnacle of biological development, and exclusively so. The emergence of humans cannot be explained by genetics alone. However, this is a large topic, and I won't elaborate on it here.
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        See.
        
        ??? Will you go to the elections yourself, or will you turn away and not even "look"?
        
        Dart2027
        
        0
        
        12 May 2026 19: 11
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        The emergence of humans cannot be explained by genetics alone.
        
        So, people are the creation of some higher power?
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        Will you go to the elections yourself, or will you turn away and not even “look”?
        
        I always go.
        
        alex-defensor
        
        0
        
        12 May 2026 23: 43
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        So, people are the creation of some higher power?
        
        It's possible, although not certain. I'm inclined to believe so myself, but I won't lay out my arguments here. It would take too long.
        
        However, the actual structure of the Universe, even in the presence of the Great Process Inductor, is most likely extremely different from the "childish" ideas about it that arose at the dawn of the formation of the human race.
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        I always go.
        
        And who are you calling for to vote for?
        
        Dart2027
        
        0
        
        13 May 2026 19: 12
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        It is possible, although not certain.
        
        And I thought that communists deny religion.
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        And who are you calling for to vote for?
        
        For Putin.
        
        alex-defensor
        
        0
        
        13 May 2026 19: 39
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        And I thought that communists deny religion.
        
        No. The radical communists deny this. I am an Orthodox Christian, and a moderate communist.
        Christianity is actually about communism (I can justify this), and not at all about monarchy (as some of us think).
        
        Quote: Dart2027
        For Putin.
        
        I voted for him too. But the presidential elections are still a long way off. The State Duma elections are just around the corner. So I asked, which party should we vote for?
        
        Dart2027
        
        0
        
        14 May 2026 19: 29
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        Christianity is actually about communism (I can justify this)
        
        You could say that. The problem is that most people are not saints.
        
        Quote: alex-defensor
        So I asked, which party should we vote for?
        
        I haven't thought about it yet.
    2. gxmlygw
      
      0
      
      7 May 2026 11: 39
      
      Out of habit, I gave you a downvote and only then read your article. Then I decided to give you another downvote to add to the 10 others and I had already given you. Too bad the system didn't allow it. So, go ahead and add my next downvote yourself.
2. Maxim Pechenev
  
  +2
  
  5 May 2026 16: 51
  
  I'm afraid these Armenians could end up on the wrong side of the LBS. They'll join the Ukrainian Armed Forces in terrorizing Russia's regions.
  1. Alexey Lan
    
    +4
    
    5 May 2026 17: 28
    
    I'm afraid these Armenians could end up on the wrong side of the LBS. They'll join the Ukrainian Armed Forces in terrorizing Russia's regions.
    
    Highly unlikely! They'll probably just cancel their contracts and run for the hills. After all, most of the Armenian contract soldiers are from Armenia, right there. Why would they go somewhere and risk getting shot? The transferred units would be half-empty when they were redeployed and would have to be replenished.
3. sannyhome
  
  +1
  
  6 May 2026 01: 08
  
  Quote: Alexey Lan
  Why are our troops and border guards in Armenia anyway?
  
  Your questions are stupid. You might as well ask why the American embassy in Armenia needs nearly three thousand security guards...
4. Seal
  
  0
  
  8 May 2026 10: 44
  
  Quote: Alexey Lan
  Why are our troops and border guards in Armenia anyway? I can't understand this. It's clear that The people who serve there are mostly Armenians with Russian passports., but these units would be quite useful on the border with Ukraine, for example, in the Bryansk region.
  
  And what percentage of the military personnel from this base of ours would agree to leave the territory of Armenia, and not just leave, but go to the front?
  1. Alexey Lan
    
    0
    
    8 May 2026 17: 21
    
    And what percentage...?
    
    Who knows? Only practice?
Alexander

+ 19

5 May 2026 13: 33

Yerevan... is distancing itself from Moscow, placing its bets on cooperation with the West.

The longer we spend our time whining about Ukraine and Europe, the more the former Soviet Union, and beyond, will distance itself from us, turning into springboards and sources of Western support for attacks on Russia. This is clear to any idiot. But the fact that everything remains as before, and the country is constantly sinking into a quagmire of insoluble problems, not eliminating them but rather expanding the zones of hostility on its borders, speaks to the urgent need for a change in Russia's leadership to save it.
PS: The current leadership is deliberately holding Russia by the arms and legs, while the West strikes at its face.
1. rotkiv04
  
  +1
  
  5 May 2026 14: 14
  
  ...The current leadership is deliberately holding Russia by the arms and legs, while the West strikes at its face.
  
  We don't know the Kremlin chess player's true plans. He says everything is going according to plan, so maybe that's his plan.
  1. bug120560
    
    +8
    
    5 May 2026 16: 02
    
    Victor, he doesn't have his own "true plans." And the essence of the true plans of those who consider themselves the masters of "AO RF" are easily discernible even from the interim results.
Cmax

+ 11

5 May 2026 14: 00

Yerevan needs to sell "more" gas at $165 per 1000 cubic meters, while the global price is $500-550. Untrainable!
Ales

+9

5 May 2026 14: 10

Moscow has nothing structured, no plans, no long-term play, as the West loves and knows how to do.

— In Russia, the vertical power structure is dominated by one person (there is no system of uninterrupted management) — the person at the top no longer makes long-term plans; unless immortality is achieved, he will not see results, and this is very demotivating to work for the long term.
1. sidorov
  
  +6
  
  5 May 2026 14: 32
  
  Quote: Ales
  In Russia, the vertical power structure is controlled by one person.
  
  A people dependent on the will of one man cannot survive.
  
  /R. Sheridan/
2. goncharov.62
  
  0
  
  5 May 2026 17: 35
  
  A certain Joseph could, by the way...
16112014nk

+6

5 May 2026 14: 49

What has this buffoon PZ brought the country to?!?!?
Kunjck

+3

5 May 2026 16: 37

Let the Western idiots feed them. Stop raising ungrateful pigs. They'll run away anyway. And Russia has enough missiles and bombs for everyone.
Pasha_Kosse

0

5 May 2026 17: 55

Will the "West" have enough money to "warm" these guys up, too?). They approved a loan to Ukraine for 90 billion. They say they'll draw up more paperwork if they need it... Well, good luck.
typf uyg

+2

5 May 2026 22: 57

There may be reasons to worry, but we need to build another air defense system and a military district, that's all.
Flight

+4

6 May 2026 01: 08

Why is Russia allowing former Soviet republics to enter the West's sphere of influence?

Because the Russian project is a Western project that has gone its own way. This happens when the project manager places too much trust in the technical contractor. But as long as the technical director stays within the project's core framework, the contractor's mischievous antics are overlooked.
Norma51

+4

6 May 2026 03: 47

The Kremlin leaders have long since defected to Aliyev and Erdogan, groveling at their feet and servicing them in every way. This is largely due to the growing power and influence of the Azerbaijani mafia-oligarchic group of billionaires (Alekperov, Nissanov, and others). During Aliyev's hunger blockade of Artsakh, at the height of the ethnic cleansing, Madame Zakharova called for "restraint on both sides." Yet the people there dreamed of freedom, including joining Russia, which was, on paper, their security guarantor. How can such things be forgotten? That's why pro-Russian forces in Armenia are currently facing a difficult time.
1. Seal
  
  0
  
  8 May 2026 11: 18
  
  Quote: Norma51
  But the people there dreamed of freedom, and wanted, among other things, to become part of Russia, which on paper was considered their guarantor of security.
  
  Really? Can you show me this document, which supposedly stated that Russia assumed the obligations of being a security guarantor?
  
  Quote: Norma51
  During Aliyev's hunger blockade of Artsakh
  
  What "blockade" are you talking about? Azerbaijan (though not immediately, but a year later) erected a checkpoint on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, in full compliance with international law, which included border and customs control points. As a result, Armenia lost the ability to send weapons, ammunition, and conscripts to Karabakh, which remained under Armenian jurisdiction. The Armenians wanted to force the Azerbaijanis to remove this checkpoint and banned Armenians, both from Karabakh and from "Greater Armenia," from using it. In other words, the Armenian leadership itself imposed a "blockade."
  
  Quote: Norma51
  wanted, among other things, to become part of Russia,
  
  There are countless people who would like to join Russia. Are we obligated to accept everyone who wants to join? Especially since we, Russia, like all UN member states, recognized Armenia within the borders of the Armenian SSR and Azerbaijan within the borders of the Azerbaijan SSR on March 2, 1992. And "within the borders of the Azerbaijan SSR" means Karabakh within Azerbaijan. And our official position hasn't changed since then.
  
  Quote: Norma51
  This is why things are currently very difficult for pro-Russian forces in Armenia.
  
  There are no pro-Russian forces in Armenia, and there never have been. Yes, there were, and probably still are, Armenian parties and organizations that were primarily funded by the Russian budget. But that made them pro-Russian. Just as those Armenian parties and organizations that were primarily funded by the American budget and transfers from Armenian organizations in the US were not pro-American. All Armenians were, are, and will be exclusively pro-Armenian. Armenia is the tail that wagged, and still tries to wag, the dogs.
Valera75

0

6 May 2026 13: 51

Everything is reptilian – they punched him in the nose, and the boa constrictor began to twitch and coil in displeasure. They didn't give him a punch – he lay there like a rag and didn't even sweat. He has no time, he writes reports about how everything is going well, how many cultural events he held.

– the journalist regrets.

Who is this journalist Steshin talking about?
mykola kovacs

+2

6 May 2026 15: 13

Nothing surprising. For 30 years, the Kremlin has been ruled by feeble-minded, cowardly elderly people from the five-story buildings on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, a crowd of young athletes, rednecks, and people who are incapable of governing a country for purely physiological reasons—that is, a lack of intelligence. But they rule with relish and destroy everything in sight.
1. beeper
  
  0
  
  6 May 2026 21: 32
  
  To my great regret, this is true!