This bit comes from a review of the book L’Envers du Pouvoir by Marie Mendras (Odile Jacob, 2008) by Dr. Fraser Cameron of the EU-Russia Centre.

Mendras begins by noting that Russia was always an empire state as opposed to a nation state. This constant expansion, until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has had consequences for how most Russians view the state and how they view foreigners.