Understanding the chinese alignment with russia in the wake of the Ukraine war

The Russia-Ukraine war appears to be one of the long-lasting conflicts between two nation-states in the twenty-first century. While deadly invasions have occurred in this century, such as the Afghan and Iraq invasions, they were mainly unilateral. However, the Russian war with Ukraine, which commenced in 2022, as a culmination of a series of mutual clashes since 2014, has now led to an unforeseen turn of events. Ukraine, headed by President Vladimir Zelensky, demonstrated an unprecedented resistance that impacted the invincible image of Russia, which had managed resounding success in the Georgian and Crimean incidents. The war between the two largely disproportionate neighbors, in terms of wealth and power, endures even after two years. This situation has caused unprecedented damage to both parties. There is enormous pressure on Russia to withdraw from the war. Understanding how Russia can withstand the mounting global pressure is crucial. The paper postulates that the Chinese support acts as Moscow’s major moral and physical stay in the present challenging times. Even though it is part of an ongoing global strategy of China, the Ukrainian war has prompted it to be closer to Russia. In this context, the present paper attempts to examine the nature, scope, and implications of Chinese support for Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war and thereby looks into the Russian stake in the prevailing power dynamics of the contemporary political landscape.