I don’t know how much they’ve simmered down though. I don’t think they were very happy during the height of the Soviet Union. The people not in the party surely weren’t.
I think some leadership there is seeking glory, and expansion is the only way they know how.
China figured out that it was more glorious to sit where they were and get rich.
And if the Bear gets half a clue, its oil wealth will do the same for it. But old feelings die hard.