Well my gf is Russian and she seems to have some fondness for the country despite the fact that this wonderful country took her father away from her to fight the pointless war in Afghanistan when she was only 4.
I am not sure how much history she knows, but feel free to drop her a line at
ssu@speakeasy.net
My best friend (yes the asshole) is ukrainian so he might have some information for you.
In other words, feel free to ask me anything. If I don't know, get bored/annoyed/confused I'll tell you.