In a week that has seen a France beat Croatia 4-2 to become champions of the globe, we ask has this World Cup been Putin’s biggest triumph?

There were fears that world cup would be racked by hooliganism and racism, and an instead travellers to Russia in 2018 were confronted by smiles, streets parties and have learnt to not define a people by its politicians. Tim Could this world cup be as effective way of disrupting our perceptions of Russia as the GUR’s campaign to disrupt the 2016 US election?

• 1 Relations with NATO and its member nations
• 2 Tensions in other European countries and relations with the former Soviet bloc
• 4 Relations with Middle Eastern and Syria
• 5 Relations with post-Soviet states
• 5.1Intervention in Ukraine and annexation of Crimea
• 6.1 Georgia and the Caucasus
• 6.2 Moldova
• 6.3 Baltic states and Scandinavia
• 7 Gas pipeline deal with Germany

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