RUSSIA AND THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE WHAT POST-COVID-19 CHANGES?

How did Russia react to the projects sponsored under Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during 2020-2021, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic but before the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022? How did the pandemic affect Russia's response? To answer these questions, the main infrastructure projects foreseen by the BRI for Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union are described. By drawing on international comparisons, the level of development of Russias infrastructures in transportation and communications is analyzed as well as its potential for improvements. The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic relations between the two counties are pointed out along with the structural limits of the BRI on the possibilities for diversification in Russias economy.