title: DIPLOMACY AS AN INSTRUMENT OF GEOPOLITICAL RIVALRY BETWEEN THE USA AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION FOR INFLUENCE IN POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
abstract: The article considers how the COVID-19 pandemic has become the basis for geopolitical rivalry between the Russian Federation and the United States for influence among the post-Soviet countries. The article examines how the United States and Russia are using coronavirus diplomacy as a soft power, in particular through the supply of medical equipment, protective equipment, vaccines and financial assistance, to shape their positioning and improve their image among the countries of the region. In ad
journal: ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS