Anton Shekhovtsov on why Russia needs Europe, and Europe needs Russia
“However, Russia will be unable to keep distance from China, as long as it is engaged in the strife with the West. Chances are high that the grim scenario suggested by Denis Sokolov, an expert of the Free Russia Foundation, is actually realistic: “Russia may not only lose political and economic control over most of its territories and resources but also turn into a giant proxy superpower armed with nuclear weapons [and acting] in the interests of China and the Chinese business”. In other words, China as a major pole in the multipolar can be strengthened by Russia – the latter will not even be a “little sister” in the “alliance” but just another department of Beijing’s official and clandestine economy. As Russia continues and intensifies its authoritarian experiment, tears down state institutions, destroys what is left of the civil society and wipes the floor with human rights, it intrinsically prepares itself for the role of China’s proxy.“
