Kathrine Frich
Russia is reworking how it extends its influence beyond its borders.
They are moving away from overt pressure and toward quieter forms of leverage.
A newly established Kremlin-backed body is set to play a central role in that strategy with Armenia emerging as its first major focus.
A new vehicle
Russian media report that President Vladimir Putin has approved the creation of a new body aimed at exercising non-coercive influence abroad.
The organization, known as International Projects of the Presidential Grants Fund, was registered this month in the Kaliningrad exclave.
The body will be overseen by presidential adviser Sergei Kiriyenko and is expected to focus its work on countries within the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Its activities are scheduled to ramp up in 2026.
According to reports cited by Agerpres, Armenia has been identified as the main priority, following a cooling of relations between Moscow and Yerevan in recent years.
Money and purpose
Russian outlets estimate the fund’s annual budget at around 13 billion rubles, or about $168 million, with additional financing possible depending on project scale.
A source close to the presidential administration confirmed the intent behind the initiative, telling RBC:
“Yes, this will be one of the sources of financing for the new soft power.”
The fund’s declared objectives include cooperation projects in social development, healthcare, culture, art, science, and education.
Doubts and overlap
Sources quoted by RBC acknowledge that Moscow has struggled to modernize its soft power approach abroad. In several countries,
Russian-backed initiatives have triggered dissatisfaction from governments, opposition groups, or local populations.
Officials also concede that such efforts are sometimes perceived as interference in internal affairs.
Among the projects linked to the fund are the restoration of 93 war memorials across 82 locations in Abkhazia, as well as initiatives supplying school equipment and organizing medical examinations.
The new body will operate alongside existing institutions with similar mandates, including Rossotrudnichestvo, which runs 87 Russian cultural centers worldwide, as well as the Russki Mir Foundation and the Gorchakov Foundation for Public Diplomacy.
Long-term bet
In the field of what RBC describes as “information policy,” the main actor remains the state-funded broadcaster Russia Today. Still, criticism persists within the presidential administration.
As one source put it: “Organizing any kind of cultural event dedicated to the Russian language is positive, but in reality it does not provide any concrete benefits.”
Konstantin Kostin, former head of the Domestic Policy Directorate of the Presidential Administration, has argued that soft power requires a shift away from revisiting Soviet-era grievances toward promoting shared values.
He also said that such efforts should be seen as long-term investments rather than tools for immediate results.
With Armenia set to become the first testing ground, the Kremlin appears determined to see whether this revised approach can succeed where earlier attempts fell short.
Sources: Digi24, RBC, Agerpres
