Yeah, and Putin is still one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) leaders in the world. AND, if you acknowledge the obeisance paid by the Central Asian former Soviet states as well as the Caucasian republics and regions to Moscow even now, you could argue that the post-USSR Russia is just as much of a powerhouse as it ever was.. just a bit more streamlined geographically. In many ways, it's all more of a mindset than a geographic entity per se.
Yeah, and Putin is still one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) leaders in the world. AND, if you acknowledge the obeisance paid by the Central Asian former Soviet states as well as the Caucasian republics and regions to Moscow even now, you could argue that the post-USSR Russia is just as much of a powerhouse as it ever was.. just a bit more streamlined geographically. In many ways, it's all more of a mindset than a geographic entity per se.