Abstract

Indonesia and Russia share a long history of diplomatic engagement shaped by Cold War alignments, post-Soviet transitions, and contemporary shifts in global power. While the relationship has often been marked by rhetorical warmth, its substance spans a diverse range of areas—from defence cooperation, energy exploration, and education exchanges to religious and cultural ties. In recent years, Moscow has also sought to expand its soft power presence and digital influence in Indonesia, including through narratives that resonate with themes of sovereignty and multipolarity. At the same time, Jakarta’s cautious response to the war in Ukraine and its balancing posture between the West, China, and the BRICS grouping reveal both opportunities and constraints in this partnership. This seminar surveys key dynamics shaping Indonesia–Russia relations and considers the prospects for their evolution under his administration amid an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.

About the Speaker

Radityo Dharmaputra is a lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Airlangga and a researcher at the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies, Universitas Airlangga. Radityo holds three master’s degrees from Airlangga (International Relations), Glasgow (Russia, Central, and East European Studies), and Tartu (Baltic Sea Region Studies). He is currently completing his PhD dissertation from the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies from the University of Tartu, Estonia. His research interests encompass Russian foreign policy in Asia, disinformation and influence operations, and the geopolitics of Europe and Eurasia, with a particular emphasis on their implications for Indonesia and Southeast Asia. His works have been published in Eurasian Geography and Economics, Contemporary Security Policy, Journal of Regional Security, and other academic journals, as well as book chapters published by Routledge.