The “Forever Friend”: Russia Doubles Down on Myanmar

Russia has recently reaffirmed its interest in investing in Myanmar’s Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), located in the southern Tanintharyi Region, despite the challenges posed by the ongoing Myanmar civil war. The project is of strategic interest to Russia as it entails the construction of a deep-sea port capable of accommodating vessels over 200,000 tons – a port that would be able to accommodate some combination of PLA Navy and/or Russian naval vessels should the need arise in the future.