Imminent changes will mean less interaction between officials and local residents, less money for small-town Russia, and accelerated depopulation.
Despite promising change, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev increasingly appears to be embracing the role of an authoritarian, patriarchal leader.
Perhaps the most notable dismissal in a recent reshuffle that brought no radical changes was that of Dmytro Kuleba as foreign minister.
Carnegie Politika podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Carnegie Europe's director Rosa Balfour and senior fellow Tom de Waal to discuss Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, and Serbia, which find themselves caught between Russia and the EU.
Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, and Serbia are caught in between Russia and the EU, building ties with the latter even as the former seeks to maintain influence there and deter the West.
Western leaders face the unenviable task of determining how to engage with a Russia that has grown increasingly self-confident, bold, and radical.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday will be inaugurated to another six-year term. Most European Union countries are boycotting the ceremony.
