Greater Russia means enfolding traditionally Russian territories in the Kremlin’s embrace. Putin want less to restore the Soviet Union than Czarist Russia. I suspect he hates Communism as much he hates the West.
“Greater Russia means enfolding traditionally Russian territories in the Kremlin’s embrace. Putin want less to restore the Soviet Union than Czarist Russia. I suspect he hates Communism as much he hates the West.”
Only one slight observation, he doesnt hate the West. In fact, when he was elected president in 2000, he led a rather pro-western politics; he ws the first leader who called G.Bush after the September 11 attack, he collaborated with the US in 2001, to ease the transport of troops and ordinance to northen Afghanistan ... etc.
What he got in return? NATO poking at his ribs..
BTW, Russia announced that will give Crimea $4 billion in the new Russian budget, according to Vladimir Osakovskiy, chief economist for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States at Bank of America Corp. in Moscow. They have already advanced $405 million to Crimea for current needs.
That amount includes $2 billion to replace funds from Ukraine’s budget and raise wages and pensions to the Russian level (which means about 100% increase, compared with Ukrainian pensions and wages), as well as much as $1.5 billion to $2 billion for infrastructure upgrades, Osakovskiy said .
Tsarist russia included the Baltic states, much of Poland as well as Georgia, Armenia, Kazakshstan etc.