Ukraine is the focus, but Russian troops are in several ex-Soviet republics

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Russian troops in five former republics

So the correct answer to the original question is that Russian forces have been active in five of the former Soviet republics so far this year — Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia and Kazakhstan. There are 15 former republics, including Russia.

Putin famously called the Soviet collapse the "greatest geo-political catastrophe of the 20th century." And there's often speculation that Putin aims to reconstruct the Soviet Union, or as some say, a Soviet Reunion.

But many analysts say such a goal is a fantasy. After 30 years on their own, the former republics have no inclination to sacrifice their independence.

"The suspicion that Moscow is busy restoring the Soviet Union under a different name is baseless," wrote Dmitri Trenin, who's based in Moscow for the Carnegie Endowment.

Putin has tried to create his own version of NATO, a grouping of six former Soviet states known as the Collective Security Treaty Organization. This alliance was invoked as the basis for Russia's intervention in Kazakhstan.

But Russia's war in Ukraine has shown the former republics do not feel compelled to support Russia.

At the United Nations in March, six former republics voted in favor of a resolution condemning Russia and calling for its immediate withdrawal from Ukraine. Seven more abstained or were conveniently absent. The only country to take Russia's side, aside from Russia itself, was Belarus."