Using Russian soft power in Central Asia

In recent years, Russia's soft power has attracted the attention of many Central Eurasian researchers. Actions taken by Russia to develop relations with Central Asian countries are usually called soft power. The using Russia's soft power policy in Central Asia can be examined from different dimensions. Therefore, the article's central question is how Russia's use of soft power tools in Central Asia has influenced the foreign policy of the countries in the region. The hypothesis of the article is that Russia's use of soft power tools has led to the intellectual alignment of Central Asian leaders with Russia and their greater cooperation with the country's foreign policy goals. In this research, by using the theory of neoclassical realism and explanatory-analytical research method, the logic of using Russia's soft power in Central Asia, the efficiency of Russia's strategy in the Central Asia region, and the reasons and factors that determine Russia's soft power in the region have been discussed. It is the findings of this research show that transnational personal relations act as Moscow's main mechanism to influence the direction of the foreign policy of Central Asian countries.