By studying the influence of the two main external actors in post-Soviet space, the EU and Russia, this study contributes to the increasing body of literature that studies the causes of democratic recession and authoritarian backlash in post-Soviet states and the role of regional actors in these processes. Empirically, the study finds the EU to be both a democracy-promoting and democracy-hindering actor in post-Soviet states. Russia’s impact, on the other hand, is far more negative than the literature on democratization and autocracy promotion typically suggests. It negatively affects both the quality of democracy of post-Soviet states and limits the EU's options for promoting democracy in its neighborhood.

通过研究欧盟和俄罗斯这两个主要外部行为体在后苏联空间的影响，本研究对越来越多的研究后苏联国家民主衰退和威权反弹的原因以及区域行为体在这些过程中的作用的文献作出了贡献。从经验上看，本研究发现欧盟既是后苏联国家的民主促进者，也是民主阻碍者。另一方面，俄罗斯的影响远比有关民主化和促进专制的文献所表明的要负面得多。它既对后苏联国家的民主质量产生了负面影响，也限制了欧盟在其周边地区促进民主的选择。