Throughout Eastern Europe, across the Caucasus and as far away as the old silk roads of Central Asia we still see the former Soviet republics struggling to establish themselves as part of the world community. The break up of the USSR left a trail of confusion and dismay as newly independent countries were forced to realise their own national identity. But this was not the only legacy of mother Russia. During the Soviet years millions of ethnic Russians settled in these areas. Independence bought a new freedom for natives of the CIS and eastern block states but for the Russian new comers it…
