The stalemated but fast-evolving Ukraine War has generated demand not only for security studies but also for in-depth research on new features in international relations. This concise nicely designed book is supposed to deliver on the part of this demand focused on the nature and threats presented by the re-energized Russian imperialism. The author is disappointed that no ‘burst of academic activity’ (p. 11) has happened in examining the political processes in the post-Soviet space from the post-colonial perspective and aims at filling this gap actualized by Russian aggression against Ukraine. His research is not only well-sourced but also enriched by extensive networking, but the lack of attention to the Russian authors and debates causes a characteristic over-simplification in the analysis of the quite unique features of the old Russian, more recent Soviet and the newest Russian imperial projects. The historical chapter is quite short, which most readers would appreciate, but it never explains how Ukraine became a part of the Russian empire, which generally expanded by conquest, but not in this pivotal case. The chapters dealing with Russia’s attempts to spread its influence over the Caucasus and Central Asia, Belarus and Moldova are informed with conversations with many local experts and sources but still leave unexplained the preference of elites and societies for maintaining ties with Moscow. The Kremlin’s desire to dismember and subjugate the Ukrainian state is central to the theme of the book, and in examining this enterprise, author’s political aspirations prevail over academic rigor. The point that ‘a Russian defeat is necessary to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty’ (p. 161) is fair but is set to remain unfeasible.