This article offers an analysis of Russia’s soft power which, given the state of today’s international developments, may be better thought of as Russia’s semi-soft power. Tracing the evolution of Russia’s soft power politics and instruments since the early 2000s, it highlights the three stages of this development, giving detailed characteristics of each. The paper argues that Russia’s soft power strategy has most notably manifested itself in the work of the television channel Russia Today and the Immortal Regiment event, which now regularly takes place on 9 May, Victory Day. In conclusion, the article states that the current version of the country’s soft power, despite all contradictions, still furthers Russian geopolitical interests.
