A New Gathering of the Lands

Energy blackmail, cyberwar, and culture wars in Russia’s long game for regional dominance

In 2005, Russian President Vladimir Putin famously lamented that the Soviet Union’s collapse was “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.” Ever since the USSR fell in 1991, the Kremlin has never fully accepted the new status quo of an independent post-Soviet neighborhood. Instead, Moscow has persistently worked to reassert influence over these former Soviet republics by almost any means available—military force, political leverage, economic carrots and sticks, and cultural sway. Western analysts often describe this as a neo-imperial ambition rather than a literal revival of the USSR. In practice, Putin’s Russia views the surrounding post-Soviet states as its “near-abroad,” a zone where Moscow believes it must maintain primacy and prevent rival powers (namely NATO and the EU) from gaining ground.

In this article I’ll provide an analytical overview of Russia’s post-1991 efforts to pull these neighboring countries back into its orbit. I’ll examine the hard military confrontations and the softer political and cultural strategies that Russia has employed, from the Caucasus to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. I’ll also explore how these tactics have extended beyond the former USSR into places like the Balkans and Nordic Europe through hybrid warfare and influence operations. Finally, I’ll discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine—the most violent expression of Moscow’s reunification drive—including the latest twist in that conflict (as of 8 June 2025), the audacious drone campaign dubbed “Operation Spider’s Web.” The tone here is neutral and fact-driven, tracing how historical patterns and recent events illustrate Russia’s enduring push to rebuild its sphere of influence.

Soviet Collapse and Neo-Imperial Ambitions

When the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, Russia lost not only territory but also