It definitely has waned. Before the Ukraine war, nobody wanted to poke the bear that is Russia, not even the UK after Russia committed murder on their soil. Now, several countries see Russia as a paper tiger.
My point was that countries in the region used to do what Russia wanted because they worried about Russia punishing them if they didn’t, now they do seek alliances with others against Russia’s wishes because they are worried about Russia doing stupid shit as part of its downfall.
I wouldn’t say its influence is waning, just that it has less control over the outcome of its influence.
It definitely has waned. Before the Ukraine war, nobody wanted to poke the bear that is Russia, not even the UK after Russia committed murder on their soil. Now, several countries see Russia as a paper tiger.
My point was that countries in the region used to do what Russia wanted because they worried about Russia punishing them if they didn’t, now they do seek alliances with others against Russia’s wishes because they are worried about Russia doing stupid shit as part of its downfall.