Ukraine

I agree, but at this point it’s hard to imagine Russia remaining democratic in its current physical make-up. Maybe, someday, if the Asian parts separate into their own countries leaving a “European” Russia that can once and for all look west and dispense with grandiose notions of an empire.

But I don’t see it. The Russians truly are genius in so many ways - maybe a bad analogy, but almost every genius-level person I’ve met in my own life had a screw loose.

A democratic Russia is a much smaller Russia. The Caucasus, Siberia, and Far East would all splinter off in potentially multitude of ways. You can't have a real democracy if you treat the vast portion of country as a colony.