In Addition to the Defeat That Awaits the Russian Army in Ukraine, Putin Is Also Losing Central Asia.

The five "Stans" have distanced themselves from Moscow and sent signals to China and the West.

Due to the Russian war in Ukraine, the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan - are under tension. Politically and economically.

Despite Russia's aggressiveness in its “near abroad,” and their countries' deep dependence on it, the region's leaders sometimes say, albeit with great ca…