Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains alliances despite sanctions, keeping Russia's economy afloat.Countries like India and Vietnam balance relations with both Russia and the West.These alliances are crucial for Russia to navigate trade restrictions and economic challenges.Russian President Vladimir Putin may be heavily sanctioned and running a country that faces sweeping trade restrictions, but he still has friends.Russia's friends or frenemies aren't all pariah states or US rivals. Some of them, like India and Vietnam, have good relations with the West, too."Putin is eyeing strategic swing nations like India, which opposes China and trades with Russia," Sean McFate, a military strategist and author of "The New Rules of War," told Business Insider in September.Moscow is also trying to emerge from diplomatic isolation, looking to forge strategic relationships beyond autocratic partners like China, North Korea, and Iran, he said.Still, among the nations Putin has been cozying up to, some are more important to Russia because they keep trade humming.These are five key countries for Russia's sanctions-skirting economy: