Yevgeny Primakov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo, spoke to RBC about Russia’s evolving strategy in the post-Soviet region, its development aid ambitions, and plans to create a domestic equivalent of USAID.

Despite recent tensions with some neighboring countries, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) remains a top priority for Russia, according to Primakov.

“The CIS is still a friendly region — far more so than many others.  It always has been and always will be our priority,” he said, emphasizing that this focus didn’t begin with the escalation of geopolitical tensions in February 2022.

“If we were to lose influence in Luxembourg, we’d manage. But if we lose it in the former Soviet republics — which, unfortunately, is already happening — that’s a catastrophe.”

From cultural diplomacy to development aid

Primakov noted that when he started in 2020, the agency's annual budget was around 4.2 billion rubles.  In 2025, it increased modestly to 5.5 billion, though he stressed that operating abroad means a significant portion of spending is tied to foreign currency and fluctuates with the dollar exchange rate.

But Primakov’s ambitions extend beyond soft power.  He revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is drafting a federal law to support international development, laying the foundation for a Russian counterpart to USAID — the U.S. Agency for International Development.

“We’re not trying to compete with USAID,” he clarified.  “We’d be happy to match Finland, for instance, which has its own development agency.”

Currently, any Russian initiative abroad — even something as simple as installing a park bench — requires a separate government decree, Primakov said. The proposed law would allow faster and more transparent international aid operations, making Russia’s development efforts more agile and effective.

By institutionalizing international development assistance, Russia probably aims to strengthen its influence globally — starting with its immediate neighbors.

The Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation, or Rossotrudnichestvo, is an autonomous Russian federal government agency under the jurisdiction of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  It is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and cultural exchange.  Rossotrudnichestvo operates in Central Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe (but mostly in the Commonwealth of Independent States).