Supporting the Role of the Russian Superpower with Hard and Soft Power Devices between 2008 and 2022

Abstract

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia’s geopolitical influence diminished. However, the Russian leadership did not give up its ambitions as a great power, and it sought to return to the power of international politics by constantly developing its enforcement skills. He developed and used the theory of soft power as one of the effective tools of enforcement of interests. Soft power came to the attention of the Russian leadership in connection with the “colour revolutions”, but until 2012, it was considered only suitable for winning the sympathy of former compatriots living in post-Soviet countries. Its system of tools was still scarce and included the promotion of the Russian language, culture, and education system abroad. After adapting the theory to Russian specificities, it entered the toolbox of Russian superpower policy in 2013, after the new foreign policy concept recognised the need to develop and apply soft power capabilities. In the meantime, the tools have become more diverse and their tasks have changed, as they have been expected to complement hard power and support Russian foreign policy. Russia in the post-Soviet period now sees the soft power instrument as an integral part of its policy, encompassing a number of subsystems.