Cross-border geopolitics: Ambivalent aspect of the border issue in relationship between Kazakhstan and Russia

Abstract This article contributes to the discussion of the relationship between the border factor and geopolitics in the post-Soviet area and strives to identify the drivers and obstacles in the sphere of territorial integration between Kazakhstan and Russia. The aim of the article is to characterize the geopolitical landscape of thses countries and to reveal the ambivalent context of Kazakhstan’s cooperation with regions across Russian-Kazakhstani border proceeding from the analysis of the interests of key players in Central Asia and the current status of the cross-border cooperation between two countries.