Putin has been perfectly clear about this, at least when he is talking to his own public. He says the collapse of the USSR and the Soviet block was one of the g

Putin has been perfectly clear about this, at least when he is talking to his own public. He says the collapse of the USSR and the Soviet block was one of the great tragedies of the 20th century, and he says that Russia will be under grave threat of being invaded and occupied by the US until it gets back its old territory. He also says that Russia has a right to intervene in any country that has a substantial number of citizens of Russian decent that he believes are being ill-treated.