POG Russia
What is China's claim to Siberia?
China might claim parts of Siberia in the long run due to Russia's declining birth rate and Chinese immigration north.
List the groups that have invaded Russia over the past 500 years.
The poles, the Swedes, the French, and the Germans twice.
What challenge has faced every Russian leader from Ivan to Putin?
The ports still freeze and the North European Plain is still flat.
Why is Russia most concerned with its western border?
They constantly fight the west
Why does much of the population in Siberia pay little allegiance to Moscow?
They moved outside the heartland and are not ethnically Russian.
Why does President Putin not "interfere" with the Baltic States the way he has in Ukraine? If he did, what would be his justification?
Unless Russia feels threatened it will not send troops into the Baltic States.
What is a warm water port? Why is Russia fixated on them?
Water does not freeze in the winder. It gave them free access to the worlds major trading routes.
How did the drastic decline in gas prices affect the Russian economy in 2014 and beyond?
When the price of oil fell below $50 it brought hardship to many Russian people.
What happened in Ukraine in 2013 that eventually led to civil war and the annexation of Crimea?
Anti Russian factions took over the government which forced Putin to annex Crimea
Explain the Russian Bear metaphor.
Bears are big, they hibernate, and it is ferocious
What factors led to Yanukovych's escape from Ukraine?
He made a pact with Moscow, sparking protests, and getting him overthrown
How does Winston Churchill's view of Russia explain its focus on foreign policy?
He says it's a mystery rapped inside an enigma. They admire strength and despise weakness.
Why does Vladimir Putin blame Mikhail Gorbachev for weakening Russia's power?
He undermined Russian security and was the cause of the Soviet Union breakup.
Explain the significance of Crimea both historically and presently.
Historically it was a part of Russia for two centuries before being granted to the Soviet Republic of Ukraine. It is in modern Europe and the Western sphere of influence.
Why would Russia want Moldova?
It could be a potential buffer state
How is Crimea militaristically important?
It has the only warm water port
What mistake did Napoleon (1812) and Hitler (1941) make?
It has unsustainably long supply lines
How is Russia protected from invasion on its eastern front?
It took over the Baltic states
How big is the biggest country in the world? How does its size compare to its population?
It's twice the size of the US or China, five times the size of India, and seventy times the size of the UK.
What was the relationship like between Ukraine's Yanukovych and Russia's Putin?
Putin tolerated him because he played both sides.
Explain Russia and Georgia's tumultuous relationship. Why does Russia want to control Georgia?
Russia doesn't want Georgia super bad because they already have troops there and it lies in the Caucasus Mountains.
In 2014, Arizona Senator John McCain made the following statement, "Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country." What might have caused him to make that statement?
Russia gets most of it's money from energy and oils.
Why might outside forces like the United States, have wanted gas prices to decline so dramatically? What American allies would have aided in this decline?
So Europe wouldn't have to rely so heavily on Russia for energy
Why is Russia not an Asian power?
The Ural Mountains mark the boundary between Asia and Europe
Why was the invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR significant?
The defeat led to the fall or the USSR and the Russian Empire shrunk back to the pre-Communist era with its borders ending shorter.