Don't make such far-flung analogies. The Russia/USSR transition is more akin to that of the Roman Republic to the Principate/Dominate. Or the different stages

Don't make such far-flung analogies. The Russia/USSR transition is more akin to that of the Roman Republic to the Principate/Dominate. Or the different stages of other closely related empires throughout history after dealing with internal regime, partial reversals and so forth. Even Putin sees Russia/USSR as parts of a organic historic continuum, and this is a key component of his rhetoric. That the USSR's territorial losses are Russia's losses and must be reversed if Russia it to "save face" and so on.