Russia - Kazakhstan Relationships in the Post-Crimea Period. Stage of Turbulence

The article studies the evolution of the Russian-Kazakhstani relations at the first stage of the post-Crimea period (March 2014 – August 2016). Based on a wide range of official sources and periodicals, it identifies the main trends and issues of bilateral cooperation in the political, military and economic spheres, and at the interregional level. It determines the factors that influenced interaction between Moscow and Astana. Particular attention is paid to the role of the presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan in promoting and strengthening their strategic partnership. The author concludes that the period under consideration was a time of serious challenges for bilateral relations, which for the first time in history, entered a phase of prolonged turbulence. After the “Crimean Spring”, the Kazakhstani leadership faced a dilemma: to maintain the existing level of cooperation with Russia in losing the trust of its Western partners or lower the degree of interaction with Moscow to strengthen its ties with Western states. The situation worsened in November 2015, when a sudden conflict between Russia and Turkey plunged the relations between Moscow and Astana into a deep crisis. For several months, the political dialogue between Russia and Kazakhstan was reduced to a minimum, and the military-political alliance of the two states was in danger of collapse. Nevertheless, in May 2016, Astana made the only correct choice in favor of maintaining the special status of its relationships with Moscow. The two sides immediately re-established their ties across the full spectrum of their cooperation. Their strategic partnership entered a new stage of development, characterized by a relative stabilization on the background of an unfavorable international environment