Tom Vanstone’s Reviews > Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics > Status Update

1. Russia became the largest country under Ivan the terrible who pushed eastward and then Peter the Great pushed westward establishing control over the harsh lands of Siberia and with this added power was able to control Eastern Europe

2. Russia has never been conquered from the West—> East this is because by the time Moscow is reached it has been a long time and gotten cold with very long supply lines. The Poles failed in 1605, The Swedes in 1708, the french in 1812 and the Germans in 1914 and 1941

Russia wants a port in the south because there is warmer water so it will be open all year round meaning they can exert power on the seas and have easier trade

4. Russia uses its natural resources to control and influence its neighbours - and the idea of “ethnic Russians” to threaten neighbours that aren’t in NATO or the EU