“Maybe they remember what was done to the Kulaks back in the 1920s and 30s.”
I agree, certainly the same for Poland and the Yappers (aka, Baltic States) - so what would Russia gain by trying to rule over them? I cannot think of anything other than keeping them from terrorizing the Russian homeland, and that’s a stretch.
Oh, how about control over a substantial fraction of he world's food distribution with adjacent opportunities to expand that 'market share.'