Recent events seem to indicate that Gospodin Putin either mislaid the bookmark or never read the page. He almost seems willing to try to tackle all of Western Europe. If you talk the talk, you had better be ready to walk the walk.
If ordinary Soviets found it out – and what is your evidence for that? – the lesson seems to have been lost on Putin, who has taken Russia adventuring again. Yet you are ready to give Russia credit for “building trains” – when it is in fact broke, getting broker and building not much of anything except another hole for itself.