Silencing the Awami League Risks Undermining a 54-Year Partnership with Russia

Jun 21, 2026 - 14:00
Silencing the Awami League Risks Undermining a 54-Year Partnership with Russia
The Bangladesh Awami League turns 77 on June 23, 2026. Founded in 1949, it is the party that won Bangladesh its independence, rebuilt it after a devastating war, and over the decades constructed a development record that the world came to study as a model. It is also the party that built, sustained, and deepened the most important bilateral relationship Bangladesh has with any major power: its partnership with Russia. That partnership is now at risk. And the risk comes not from Moscow but from the political suppression of the Awami League itself. How Russia Stood With Bangladesh When It