So that raises a more interesting conversation
(and I'm not picking on you here, I promise)
You had mentioned before that Russia in many respects was "amazing".
I think we've established that there's certainly nothing amazing about their systems of governance and their institutions over the past 120+ years.
That really only leaves aspects of their "culture" that are uniquely Russian.
Yet, when countries make "cultural assimilation" a priority with regards to immigration policy, there's often some flak for that sentiment.
The reason I bring this up is that when we ("we" as in people living in Westernized countries) discuss concepts like "melting pot vs tossed salad" and "whether or not it's okay for countries to have nationalistic sentiments with regards to culture", we kind of talk out of both sides of our mouths.
We only really talk about how great a unique "culture" can be, when the "culture" is the only thing a country has going for it.
For instance, in one conversation, when talking about a rich, developed country, we'll insist how important it is to embrace a "melting pot", yet, in a different conversation, we'll say that "appropriation is bad" when it involves traditions/etc... from places that aren't as privileged. (for instance, there were people who were a tad miffed for a while about white people having dread locks and/or choosing to wear garments that are specific to a particular African nation's culture, yet nobody is particularly upset if a Black or Asian guy wears a "kiss me, I'm Irish" shirt for St. Paddy's day)
Despite the fact that observing a different kind of person and saying "wow, I really like their traditional foods and style of clothing they wear and think some of their customs are pretty cool, I'm going to incorporate that" is basically the prerequisite for a melting pot.
But I digress, I've derailed this one a bit lol