How Russia Projects Soft Power Across Three Continents — Vladimir Liparteliani

21 Apr 2026 · 1 h 01 min · S4 E9

Episode How Russia Projects Soft Power Across Three Continents — Vladimir Liparteliani

0:00 1:00:50

How does a country under heavy sanctions continue to win influence across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia? In this episode, Vladimir Liparteliani unpacks the full machinery of Russian soft power — from RT and Sputnik to educational diplomacy, cultural outreach, and religious projection.

Vladimir Liparteliani is an associate fellow at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University. As a scholar of international relations, he focuses on soft power and international power competition in the post-Soviet space.

Selected Publications

• Soft Power Competition Between Russia and the West: Contesting Georgian National Identity, 1991–2024 • The Art of Subtle Influence: Russian Soft Power and Georgia’s Conservative Turn

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:37 Conceptualising Russian Soft Power: Beyond Nye’s Classical Framework

05:58 Russian Scholarly Perspectives on Soft Power

07:10 Soft Power, Strategic Communication, and Influence Operations in Russian Foreign Policy

08:42 Strategic Ambiguity: The ‘Blurriness’ of Russian Soft Power

09:23 Great Power Identity and the Logic of Russian Soft Power

11:53 Soviet Legacies and Their Influence on Contemporary Russian Soft Power

14:21 International Broadcasting as Soft Power: RT and Sputnik

18:22 Narratives and Messaging in RT and Sputnik Content

20:52 Global Accessibility and Restrictions on RT and Sputnik

23:02 Educational Diplomacy in Russian Foreign Policy

26:22 Education as a Soft Power Instrument

28:41 The Experience of International Students in Russia

30:22 Cultural Diplomacy and the Projection of Russian Culture

34:13 Global Reception and Participation in Russian Cultural Initiatives

36:54 The Russian Orthodox Church and Religious Soft Power

41:15 Narrative Effectiveness and Audience Reception in Russian Soft Power

43:52 The Interaction of Soft and Hard Power in Russian Strategy

46:49 Soft Power within Russia’s Military and Security Agenda

49:09 Adapting Russian Soft Power to New Political Realities

51:50 The Impact of Sanctions on Russian Soft Power Adaptation

54:31 Opportunities and Constraints for Russian Soft Power in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia

57:27 — Research Motivation: Studying Russian Soft Power

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