Russian schoolboys attend a Chinese lesson at the ChineseFirst language centre, in the town of Reutov, outside Moscow, on March 17, 2023. - Pummelled by multiple rounds of Western sanctions, Russia's economic and technological development is becoming increasingly dependent on China. The explosion in demand for Chinese lessons in Russia illustrates the country's pivot toward Asia, as tensions rage between Moscow and the West. (Photo by Yuri KADOBNOV / AFP)