“Over the past ten days, Russia has faced diplomatic protests from three countries. These countries are located in different parts of the world where Russia is trying to expand, preserve, or restore its influence and presence.” This is stated in a publication by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

“These are India, Azerbaijan, and Botswana. For various reasons, the governments of these countries expressed dissatisfaction with Russia’s actions, indicating its further loss of global authority.

India expressed concern over the strike by Russian cruise missiles on the cargo ship MV Golden Leo as it was leaving the Port of Odesa. As a result of the attack, four Indian citizens were killed. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong protest to Russia and emphasized that strikes on commercial vessels and the deaths of civilians are unacceptable. Such rhetoric illustrates a kind of tectonic shift in relations between countries that until recently were considered close partners. At the same time, these events significantly narrow Russia’s diplomatic options within its declared “pivot to the East,” destroying long-standing ties and turning Moscow into a pariah state.

Azerbaijan has effectively put an end to Russia’s regional dominance in the South Caucasus. Baku sent Moscow a note of protest over Russia’s attack on a gas station belonging to the Azerbaijani company SOCAR in Mykolaiv Oblast. Azerbaijan categorically demanded a comprehensive investigation and called for “compliance with international obligations to protect civilian infrastructure.” Later, the President of Azerbaijan officially stated the country’s readiness to fully replace Russia in the European oil and gas market. This once again underscored Russia’s loss of status as a reliable energy partner and a full-fledged member of leading European institutions — a role the country once considered its own.

Russia has also suffered from the actions of its African partners. Botswana issued an official statement regarding the “alarming increase in cases of the fraudulent recruitment of the country’s citizens to participate in hostilities on Russia’s side in the war against Ukraine.” This statement not only served as yet another accusation from the international community against Russia for violating the world order and the UN Charter, but also highlighted the severity of the personnel crisis in Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

As a result, Russia’s aggressive behavior is increasingly discouraging international partners from cooperating with Moscow. The world is becoming aware of the “toxicity” of any potential future relations with the Kremlin and is gradually trying to distance itself from Russia,” the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine noted.