> I don't see how neighboring countries are "suffering along" – e.g. Ukraine got all its debts forgiven and inherited specialized industries which were subsidized by Russia during soviet times.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Chechen_War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Chechen_War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Georgian_War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Abkhazia_(1992%E2%80%93...

And many more here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battles_involving_Russ...

And all that ignoring the puppeteering they’re trying to do in post Soviet republics.