The Importance of Geography in the Russian Mindset

Russia is a flat Eurasian landmass stretching from the Carpathians. There's no natural geographical boundaries so if you start losing battles on the East you're just going to keep losing more battles because there's very little to retreat to. The conquest and centralized assertion of Russian power over Ukraine and conquest of the Black Sea area by capturing the great in the late 18th century was key geopolitically for Russia.