~Amazing that Russia, as gigantic as it still is, at one time had huge Alaska.~
LOL. Also Northern California, not to mention Finland, Poland, Ukraine, South Caucasus, Mongolia, North Korea and North Iran.
Between 1540s and 1910s Russia has expanded at average 50 square miles daily.
There was history channel special on Russia Land of the tsars how Ivan the terrible to Catherine the Great push Russia teroritiy that far throughout part of history