CSTO Support For Russia Evaporating

An unintended consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine may be a diminished influence of Russia's two most powerful regional bodies, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

• Of the five full CSTO countries only Belarus continues to publicly support the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At a UN vote to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine last week Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia all abstained. Former members Azerbaijan, a key Russia ally, and Uzbekistan avoided the vote.
• Kazakhstan's abstention from the UN vote is significant as last year Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev called in Russian led CSTO forces to help quell anti-government protests which threated to oust his regime.
• At a rally in Almaty, Kazakhstan yesterday journalist Bakytzhan Bukharbai urged a large crowd of anti-war protesters to abandon both international bodies.
• The non-Russian contingent of the CSTO contribute over 200,000 active troops to the alliance.
• The Eurasian Economic Union also looks shaky the Kazakh Tengi has lost 15 percent of its value to the USD since the Russian invasion and it is likely that the Kazakhstani will seek avenues to limit exposure to Russian sanctions.