Russia’s Role in Eurasian Integration as Sovereign Development: Legal, Economic and Political Foundations of Multipolar Regionalism

Abstract

Aim. The article examines Russia’s role in Eurasian integration as a legal, economic and political framework for sovereign development in a multipolar international order. It seeks to move beyond interpretations that describe the Eurasian project either as a purely technical customs arrangement or as a unilateral instrument of Russian influence. Tasks. The study clarifies the concept of sovereign development, identifies Russia’s main institutional functions within the Eurasian Economic Union, and evaluates how these functions support wider regional connectivity with non-Western and multipolar platforms. Methods. The research applies qualitative institutional analysis, comparative regionalism and geopolitical economy. The empirical basis consists of the Union’s treaty framework, strategic integration documents for the period up to 2025, macroeconomic policy guidelines for 2024–2025, official materials of the Eurasian Economic Commission, and scholarly literature on Eurasian regionalism. Results. Russia performs three core functions in Eurasian integration. Legally, it provides regulatory scale and institutional continuity while remaining constrained by treaty-based equality. Economically, it supports resilience through market capacity, energy and industrial depth, transport geography and national-currency settlements. Politically, it connects the Eurasian project with broader institutions and partnerships linked to multipolar governance. Conclusion. Russia’s role is most defensible when conceptualised as institutional anchoring and regional public-goods provision rather than hegemonic control. Eurasian integration can strengthen sovereignty if it expands the economic and diplomatic options of all member states. Its success depends on internal-market effectiveness, institutional equality, industrial and technological cooperation, external partnerships and measurable welfare gains. The article therefore defines a conditional but positive interpretation of Russia’s leadership in the Eurasian integration process.