Russia’s war on Ukraine has triggered a massive geopolitical shift – not only in the Kremlin’s deteriorating relations with the West, but also across its decades-old sphere of influence in the former Soviet space and beyond. With Russian ruler Vladimir Putin currently visiting Kazakhstan on a state trip, Kyiv Post examines how Moscow’s relations with neighboring countries are evolving as the war drags on.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan is the largest country in Central Asia, sharing the world’s longest continuous land border with Russia and hosting a significant ethnic Russian minority in its northern regions. Despite repeated attempts by Russian nationalists to question Kazakhstan’s statehood and territorial integrity – especially since 2022 – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has maintained a careful balancing act, preserving economic and security ties with Moscow while simultaneously deepening relations with China, Türkiye, the EU, and the United States. Astana has also maintained indirect ties with Kyiv by refusing to recognize Russia’s claims over the so-called rogue republics of “DNR” and “LNR,” citing international law as the basis for its position. Kazakhstan likewise rejected deeper military integration proposals within the CSTO (Moscow’s’equivalent’ of NATO) framework while being careful not to become a full-scale sanctions loophole for Moscow, despite pressure and the complexity of its economic relationship with Russia.