* The British Empire, although officially a staunch supporter of the Ottoman Empire's integrity, took secret diplomatic steps encouraging Greek entry into the League in order to counteract Russian influence.

The objective is reportedly to protect another parts of US National Missile Defense from long-range missile strikes from Iran and North Korea, but Czech PM Mirek Topolánek said the main reason is to avoid Russian influence and strengthen ties to US.

The Chinese had long been a source of aid and apparently wished to maintain contact with Comoros to counterbalance Indian and Soviet ( later Russian ) influence in the Indian Ocean.

In order to secure communications with Georgia and other regions of the Transcaucasia, the Russian Empire began spreading its influence into the Caucasus mountains.

The Great Game set in motion the confrontation of the British and Russian empires, whose spheres of influence moved steadily closer to one another until they met in Afghanistan.

First was the Russian influence at the Iranian court, which prompted the Russians to support Iran in its attempt to take Herat, historically the western gateway to Afghanistan and northern India.

The 1907 Anglo-Russian Entente ( the Convention of St. Petersburg ) not only divided the region into separate areas of Russian and British influence but also established foundations for Afghan neutrality.

The convention provided for Russian acquiescence that Afghanistan was now outside this sphere of influence, and for Russia to consult directly with Britain on matters relating to Russian-Afghan relations.

In 1935 under prime minister Muhammad Hashim, Afghanistan established a close relationship with Germany, a distinct change of relations in comparison to its usual position between the Russian and British spheres of influence.

Similarly, it was presented to various government officials, military and diplomatic, in the United States and in Europe ( 1919 – 1920 ), in opposition to the Russian Revolution, and to influence the terms of the peace settlement which resulted in the Treaty of Versailles.

In foreign policy, the Vaasa Senate leaned on the German Empire for military and political aid, in order to defeat the Finnish Red Guards, end the influence of Bolshevist Russia in Finland, and expand Finnish territory to Russian Karelia.

" His closing paragraph stated: " I belong to the Left and must work inside it, much as I hate Russian totalitarianism and its poisonous influence in this country.

Because of its strategic location it is in both the Russian and American spheres of influence.

Germany had no direct interest in the Balkans, however, which was largely an Austrian and Russian sphere of influence, although King Carol of Romania was a German prince.

To indicate how seriously Marx took research, it is interesting to note that when he died, his estate contained several cubic metres of Russian statistical publications ( it was, as the old Marx observed, in Russia that his ideas gained most influence ).

British concern over Russian advances in Central Asia and growing influence in Persia culminated in two Anglo-Afghan wars and " The Siege of Herat " 1837 – 1838, in which the Persians, trying to retake Afghanistan and throw out the British and Russians, sent armies into the country and fought the British mostly around and in the city of Herat.

Eastern influence remained strong well until the 17th century, when Russian rulers made a conscious effort to modernize their country.

Nevertheless, Ivan is often seen as a farsighted statesman who reformed Russia as he promulgated a new code of laws ( Sudebnik of 1550 ), established the first Russian feudal representative body ( Zemsky Sobor ), curbed the influence of clergy, and introduced the local self-management in rural regions.

Beginning in mid-August 1990, Kazakh and Russian nationalists began to demonstrate frequently around Kazakhstan's parliament building, attempting to influence the final statement of sovereignty being developed within.

After Lenin ’ s death ( 21 January 1924 ), Trotsky ideologically battled the influence of Stalin, who formed ruling blocs within the Russian Communist Party ( with Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev, then with Nikolai Bukharin, and then by himself ) and so determined soviet government policy from 1924 onwards.

During this time the British and Russian Empires were vying for influence in Central Asia, a rivalry which would become known as The Great Game.

Bismarck and other European leaders opposed the growth of Russian influence and tried to protect the integrity of the Ottoman Empire ( see Eastern Question ).

It was also used as a political tool by both the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, which gained political-military influence and control over all Slavic-majority nations between 1945 and 1948.

The Russian Empire in 1866 and its spheres of influence

By the 17th century the influence of Renaissance painting resulted in Russian icons becoming slightly more realistic, while still following most of the old icon painting canons, as seen in the works of Bogdan Saltanov, Simon Ushakov, Gury Nikitin, Karp Zolotaryov and other Russian artists of the era.

On November 1, 2006, the Armenian government handed de facto control of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline to Russian company Gazprom and increased Gazprom's stake in the Russian-Armenian company ArmRosGazprom from 45 % to 58 % by approving an additional issue of shares worth $ 119 million.

Following the failure of the last of the national uprisings, the January Uprising of 1863, the Polish nation, subjected within the territories under the Russian and Prussian administrations to still stricter controls and increased persecution, preserved its identity in nonviolent ways.

Extremely cold summers ( 1601 – 1603 ) wrecked crops, which led to the Russian famine of 1601 – 1603 and increased the social disorganization.

In addition to fast integration with the European Union, safety against Russian leverage has been increased by building fully NATO-compatible military.

After returning to the capital, Trotsky and Parvus took over the newspaper Russian Gazette and increased its circulation to 500, 000.

A constant flow of illegal narcotics continues to transit Tajikistan from Afghanistan on its way to Russian and European markets, leaving widespread violent crime, corruption, increased HIV incidence, and economic distortions in its wake.

2000s were marked by the increased state intervention in Russian Television.

Russian court had steadily increased in importance throughout the 18th century and came to hold more cultural significance than many of its Western counterparts due its inclusive nature: any “ well to do inhabitants ” were welcome at Court.

Western nations view Russian bellicosity and belligerence as having markedly increased as of late, with tests of new nuclear-capable missiles occurring on a regular basis, military conflicts with neighboring states, claims of a Russian " sphere of influence " on the perimeter of the old Soviet Union, the rise of ultra-nationalist " Putin Youth " groups, aggressive politicization of and threats of withdrawal of natural gas supplies to Europe should the Europeans not make certain policy concessions, and even threats of a nuclear first strike against Poland have been heard to be made by certain Russian generals.

The Russian population increased dramatically as well, with evacuees from the war zones increasing the population to well over a million.

Towards the second half of the 19th century Van began to play an increased role in the politics of the Ottoman Empire due to its location near the borders of the Persian, Russian and Ottoman Empire, as well as its proximity to Mosul.

He remained the leading spokesman of French Radicalism, but his hostility to the Russian alliance so increased his unpopularity that in the 1893 election, he was defeated for his Chamber seat, after having held it continuously since 1876.

After the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad the Russian colonization of the area strongly increased.

The Second Overture on Russian Themes shows an increased sophistication as Balakirev utilizes Beethoven's technique of deriving short motifs from longer themes so that those motifs can be combined into a convincing contrapuntal fabric.

Initially he supported increased autonomy within the Russian Empire, in opposition to the Social Democrats in the coalition-Senate, who in vain strived for more far-reaching autonomy ; but after the Bolshevik October Revolution Paasikivi championed full independence — albeit in the form of constitutional monarchy.

Within the occupied territories, communistic elements and other circles hostile to Germany have increased their efforts against the German State and the occupying powers since the Russian campaign started.

Many Russian Neo-Fascist and Neo-Nazi groups such as the Russian National Unity call for an increased role for the Russian Orthodox Church.

The party increased during a period of increase of political radicalism in Britain just after the First World War and the Russian Revolution, and was also represented in Britain by the Red Clydeside movement.

Bolshevik support amongst the Russian public also increased following the Kornilov affair, a consequence of dissatisfaction with the Provisional Government and their handling of the affair.

According to official data from those two censuses, the Romanian population had decreased by 75, 752 people, and the Jewish population by 46, 632, while the Ukrainian and Russian populations increased by 135, 161 and 4, 322 people, respectively.

The service is usually the same in all classes on Russian Railways, main difference being the increased personal space, reduced noise, and better isolation from the unwanted contact with the strangers, as well as better amenities — lower class cars may have a single shower per two couchette cars ( 54 passengers ), while SV cars have one per 16 passengers, and in Premium car each passenger has his own shower, an important consideration on a rides such as Trans-Siberian rides that may last for up to a full week.