The Russia-Latin America Observatory (Ruslat) aims to act as a reference center for the study of relations between Russia and Latin America in contemporary times. The project proposes to consider the insertion of these states in international politics in a context of global structural changes emerging in the new millennium. The planning of its activities began in 2023, as part of a program to incentivize research at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas), whose renowned Department of International Relations includes the Observatory. In 2024, the Ruslat portal is launched, with data initially collected on relations between Russia and Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Chile and Colombia. The intention is to expand the activities to all Latin American states in the coming years.
The initiative operates on three fronts. To gather qualified data on relations between Russia and Latin America, the Ruslat portal provides a database on the political, economic, cultural and international defense and security dimensions of interactions between these states. The data has been presented through tables and interactive visual resources since 1991 and is updated annually. The second front focuses on making available the investigation reports of Ruslat researchers, with analyses built on the information organized based on the database.
Finally, the Ruslat portal presents itself as a reference space for gathering and promoting news, events and bibliographical material on relations between Russia and Latin America.