They're absolutely comparable. If anything at least Russia is being upfront about its imperial ambitions by using its own military. US just outsources its imper

They're absolutely comparable. If anything at least Russia is being upfront about its imperial ambitions by using its own military. US just outsources its imperial projects (mostly, though Iraq, Afghanistan are counterexamples) by fomenting political disruption or destroying economies until demands are met. Same ends, different means. One's just more covert.