[taway_1212]

> The amputation of a quarter of Russia's territory

Soviet Union is (was) not Russia, it was a multinational empire, similar to Roman or Mongol Empries. AFAIK, Russia itself did not loose much (any?) territory after 1989.

[usrusr]

Unfortunately, many Russians don't seem to feel that way. They are not alone with that however: all former empires occasionally inspire the idea that their demise is an ongoing historical injustice that needs to be rectified. And in the echo chamber of a former-empire nation this train of thought rarely gets questioned.

[othello]

I agree, but that measure compares Russia in 1917, before the Soviet Union, with Russia in 1991, which was 25% smaller.

The Soviet Union was indeed considerably larger than Russia had been since the 17th century.

[notfromhere]

Russians largely saw the Soviet Union as an extension of Russian power. Hence all the russification that occured in non-Russian majority republics