Russia

Russia is the largest country by land mass in the world, a status it maintained even after shedding 14 countries when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Early economic turmoil in the Russian Federation gave way to widespread privatization of industry and oil-fueled growth. The nation’s politics have been dominated for more than a decade by the regime of President Vladimir Putin, who has re-nationalized private assets, cracked down on freedom of expression and pursued an expansion of regional influence. This expansion has included a military intervention in Ukraine and an internationally condemned annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

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