Russia's public diplomacy in the post-Soviet space in a time of pandemic: past challenges and current trends

This article examines the activities of Russian public diplomacy in the post-Soviet region during COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Public diplomacy is interpreted as a soft power’s key instrument in promoting socially constructed narratives, which corresponds to the national interests of transmitting actor. Moreover, the paper reveals the main methods of Russia’s public diplomacy in particular region, including such a new ones as, for instance, «vaccine diplomacy». The intensification of Russian humanitarian aid is caused by the current pandemic situation. Consequently, Russian Federation got the opportunity to enhance its image, especially in the field of healthcare industry. However, the author emphasizes the inefficiency of the «shared past» message because this narrative generates negative neo-imperial connotations and associations among post-Soviet citizens. Besides, public diplomacy of Russia is fragmented and inconsistent. Nevertheless, the potential of Russian soft power lies in the religious and traditional family values, which should be articulated by the Russian political establishment more clearly. Thus, the article is aimed at reconceptualization of soft power and public diplomacy from the constructivist perspective through the complex analysis of the Russia’s approach to the realization of the public diplomacy strategy in the post-Soviet space.