Since their independence from the Soviet Union, the Central Asian countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, have maintained close ties with Moscow. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has complicated the relationship. None of the Central Asian countries have expressed support for Russia’s war and are all abiding by the western sanctions imposed on Moscow. While economic ties between the region and Russia remain strong as of now, Central Asian countries are looking to diversify their economic relations, thereby opening up avenues for other powers.In this episode of Interpreting India, Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili joins Rahul Bhatia to discuss Central Asia and the Russia-Ukraine war. How are the Central Asian countries responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? What could Russia’s preoccupation with the war in Ukraine mean for China’s role in the region? And, what are the implications of this on India and South Asia? --Episode ContributorsJennifer Brick Murtazashvili is a nonresident scholar in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She is the founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets and a professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on issues of self-governance, security, political economy, and public sector reform in the developing world. Her book Informal Order and the State in Afghanistan was published by Cambridge University Press in 2016.Rahul Bhatia is a research analyst with the Security Studies Program at Carnegie India. His research focuses on India’s borders and India’s foreign and defense policies.--Additional ReadingKazakhstan’s Tokayev Is Playing With Fire at Home—and With Russia by Jennifer Brick MurtazashviliThe Source of Ukraine’s Resilience by Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili--?️ Check out our podcast, Interpreting India available now on YouTube, Spotify, and iTunes!Home: https://interpreting-india.simplecast.com/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/51yeOb8SimMIPe2KgIUQ8gApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/interpreting-india/id1476357131YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeXQMWQXRkJXF71nDiX9LhlXiSkhR8JJT--Carnegie India Socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carnegieindia/ (@CarnegieIndia)Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarnegieIndiaWebsite: https://carnegieindia.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CarnegieIndia/