War is the great illuminator. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed not only its imperial ambition but also the internal colonialism at play within the Russian Federation itself (with disproportionately fewer ethnic Russians at the front than other minorities). Far from placing the Kremlin at the top table of international affairs, the war has also led to mounting distrust and defiance in its traditional sphere of influence, weakening its position both globally and regionally. Donnacha Ó Beacháin places the current geopolitical conflict in Russia’s historical trajectory, tracing Russia’s development from the tiny Duchy of Moscow through the Soviet Union to the Russian Federation, the largest country in the world. He explains the context of the war and the consequence for Russia’s neocolonial relationships with its “near abroad”. An essential primer for the reader looking to understand Russia’s place in the world beyond the binary East–West tensions.