Why Russia's imperial past shapes its present and haunts its neighbours

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
These days, empires rarely admit they are empires
They speak of civilisation, of security, of shared history – all while projecting power and extracting obedience
Most European empires disintegrated in the second half of the 20th century, and European nations quickly discarded much, if not quite all,
of the imperialist mindset.