Abstract
The article considers how Russia has reacted to the pandemic, especially in terms of foreign policy. Although internally the management of the pandemic has led to a further limitation of citizens’ freedoms, externally it has been exploited to improve the country’s image and strengthen its leverage through tactical activism and political generosity. Russia’s strategy has been articulated in two phases: first, immediate aid to countries in need in order to channel the idea of a benevolent state, directly or indirectly discrediting other countries or organisations; second, the geopolitical use of vaccines. The article stresses the relationship between science and foreign policy and analyses Russia’s health diplomacy strategy, underscoring its opportunities and challenges through the analysis of two case studies (Italy and Belarus). From a methodological perspective, the article mainly refers to foreign policy analysis (FPA), using concepts such as soft power, health diplomacy, and geopolitics.
Highlights
The Russian Federation is among the countries hit the most by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the third and fourth waves
After a brief overview of Russia’s international strategy, we focus on two cases: Italy and Belarus
In order to capture the features of Russia’s response to COVID-19 for maximising its foreign policy goals, we refer to foreign policy analysis (FPA), which is concerned with how states, or the individuals who lead them, make and implement foreign policy and react to other states’ foreign policies
Summary
The Russian Federation is among the countries hit the most by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the third and fourth waves. While aware of the importance of the domestic dimension of the management of the pandemic, the article focuses on how Russia has tried to exploit the COVID-19 crisis to improve its external image and soft power, while at the same time further widening its influence. That the pandemic has offered the Kremlin a window of opportunity to enhance its external appeal and influence through health diplomacy. The analysis of these two cases will help elucidate Russia’s modalities of action in two very different countries and different phases of the development of the pandemic
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