Russia’s Neighbors Battle Oil Addiction
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan remain heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies. Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries disrupted fuel exports to Central Asia and Mongolia, causing fuel shortages and restrictions. The crisis exposed structural vulnerabilities including landlocked geography and limited domestic refining capacity.
Why it matters: This illustrates the energy security theme: formal independence does not guarantee energy sovereignty, and dependency creates leverage for Moscow.