Abstract
This study deconstructs the trajectory of post-Soviet states’ integration into the EAEU by analyzing its institutional architecture, economic imperatives, and structural contradictions to elucidate the interplay between supranational aspirations and national sovereignty. The study employs a comparative institutional analysis, examining the divergence between legal codification and functional effectiveness; historical institutionalism, identifying cyclical recalibrations of integration trajectories in response to exogenous constraints; and mixed-method modelling, which integrates panel regression models—quantifying trade flexibilities and fiscal redistributions—with content analysis—deciphering inconsistencies in integration agreements and regulatory frameworks. The findings reveal systemic asymmetries: Russia accounts for 86% of the EAEU's GDP, dictating macroeconomic parameters, while Kazakhstan's export diversification—42% directed toward non-EAEU markets—signals centrifugal tendencies, illustrating the constraints of market unification (intra-bloc trade increased by 35.5% between 2015 and 2019 but declined to $77.3 billion in 2023, highlighting structural volatility). The study provides a foundation for restructuring Eurasian integration policy—addressing investment asymmetry (Russia's 80% dominance in intra-union FDI hampers balanced industrialization), enhancing regulatory coherence (discrepancies between national and EAEU trade policies sustain re-export arbitrage rather than structural convergence), and mitigating external dependence (China's growing economic gravitational pull—$22 billion in FDI to Kazakhstan—undermines EAEU cohesion).