From Muscovy to Russia and Back: The Aftermath of the Russo–Ukrainian War.

The Russo-Ukrainian war has been raging for nearly half a year, and no one can predict with any certitude when it will end, but it is already possible to project the impact it will have on the aggressor, Russia. For Putin, the invasion of Ukraine was a crucial step in the process of returning to what he believes are the "original Russian lands."[2] Ukraine was not merely a "historic part" of Russia; it was the cradle of the country and the civilization it spawned. This time Russia will try to pair with China and/or India instead of Comecon/CMEA, but the outlook is much less hopeful, since for decades, the Soviet Union prioritized its technological progress whereas Russia has been dismantling its knowledge-based industries for years. This is true despite Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky, recently having said that Russian territory has become "smaller than that of the Russian Empire, but this will not last forever."[7] Russia has repeatedly claimed that it is not a European country, and this dichotomy between Russia and Europe goes back to at least the nineteenth century. [Extracted from the article]