Russia, the leading republic in the former Soviet Union, initially took steps toward an open society and market economy in the 1990s. However, under Vladimir Putin’s leadership in the early 2000s, the country’s path shifted. By the late 1990s, Russia moved from a quasi-democracy to a more authoritarian system. Its economy, which had been transitioning to a market-based model, became increasingly dominated by crony capitalism and corruption. At the same time, Putin’s foreign policy became more revisionist and aggressive, aimed at challenging the post-Cold War global order.