In what will likely be framed as a show of strength in the face of sanctions and geopolitical ostracization over the war in Ukraine, Russia is hosting the 16th annual BRICS summit in Kazan between Tuesday and Thursday.

Nearly three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine saw Moscow condemned by countries globally, leader Vladimir Putin is staging a summit with more than a dozen world leaders – in a pointed signal from the autocrat that far from being alone,

After the start of a special military operation on In 2022, the West imposed numerous economic sanctions on Ukraine against Russia, blocked access to the global banking system and tried to diplomatically isolate it from the rest of the world.