Russia’s declining influence across the post-Soviet space is becoming particularly evident in the economic sphere. The erosion of political authority, the growing maturity of former Soviet republics, and favorable geopolitical conditions for a relatively smooth separation have allowed what were once considered permanent partners to start looking in other directions.

The Russian economy is strongly overheated, Sberbank CEO Herman Gref said when speaking in the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian legislative assembly.

The new sanctions announced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on May 1 against organizations that support the Russian military-industrial complex may indirectly affect Azerbaijan's economy by damaging trade and economic relations with important trading and investment partners.