Abstract. The paper examines the activities of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which has an extensive network of socio-economic development agencies in Central Asia. The purpose of the research was to study the soft power tools of the AKDN in three countries of the Central Asia region: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The authors point out that the AKDN projects on socio-economic development play the role of soft power tools through which the organization promotes Western values and the interests of Western structures. The article concludes that the AKDN poses a threat to Russia’s interests in the countries of Central Asia.