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Russian economist, former policy advisor to the Russian president Andrey Illarionov, based on findings from opinion polls, human rights organizations, and the IMF, identified [RU] which countries are most friendly and which are most hostile to Russia.
The expert considers it noteworthy that among Russia's friends are those countries that have low living standards and lack of political freedoms, while in those countries that are unfriendly to Russia, the opposite prevails.
Over the past 5 years, these lists have undergone minor changes: for example, in the top 10 countries unfriendly to Russia, the UK replaced Poland, while in the list of friends, Azerbaijan replaced Germany.
According to findings from a poll conducted by Levada-Center in 2014, and figures from the human rights organization Freedom House and the International Monetary Fund, the average GDP per capita of Russia's top 7 friends is $9,473 USD, while the index of political freedom is 30 (out of a possible 100). These countries are as follows:
Belarus: political freedom index – 14; GDP per capita – $15,753
China: 17 and $9,844
Kazakhstan: 25 and $14,391
Armenia: 43 and $6,191
India: 77 and $4,077
Cuba: 11 and $5,008
Azerbaijan: 22 and $11,044
Among the "enemy" countries, the average GDP per capita is $24,141, while the index of political freedom is 82. The countries are as follows:
US: 92 and $53,101
Ukraine: 55 and $7,423
Lithuania: 90 and $22,747
Latvia: 84 and $19,120
Estonia: 95 and $23,144
Georgia: 60 and $6,145
the UK: 97 and $37,307
Illarionov points to the fact that in the last 5 years (2009–2014), the average index of political freedoms for the seven "enemy" countries hasn't changed much (from 83 to 82), while the average GDP per capita for these countries increased by 57% (from $15,392 to $24,141).
For Russia's top 7 "friends," the political freedom index fell more than a quarter (from 40 to 30), while the average GDP per capita for these countries decreased by almost 10% ($10,442 to $9,473).
"Thus, as a consequence of an effective campaign, current residents of Russia not only are increasingly oriented to more economically backward and politically unfree countries, but also oppose themselves to the most economically developed and most free part of the world," sums up the economist.