Source: TW.
Historically some u2 states of Western Europe, both Germanic and Romance, & their offspring, have excelled as long range predatory powers. This trend started with the crusades in response to the u3 jihad & later in alliance with the u3s against the Rus – French+Eng+Turk alliance.
In contrast, despite heathen Germanic elite, who lay at the heart of the long-range predatory impulse of Western Europe before the infection by the unmAda, Rus began like a classic Khanganate inspired by contact with Turko-Mongol neighbors. Their mode of action is that of a classic land-power that exerts powers on conterminous regions. But their infection by the other strain of the unmAda has meant conflict along the fundamental schism in pretonmAda between the western churches & the orthodox church, c.f. like sunni & shia in marUnmAda.
This has meant that despite the distance the clash with the long-range western predatory powers would play out repeatedly in history. The entire zone from West Asia to Eastern Europe can be seen as that zone of contention between them. The Western predatory powers since the crusades see those lands of West Asia as their natural quarry into which the Rus are exerting influence like Oleg’s shield at Constantinople +++(after 907 victory)+++. The collapse of the Empire allowed a greater creep of Western long-range predatory forces into the traditional zones of Rus dominance replaying the English strategy of defeating the Rus in Crimean & neutralizing their navy. But eventually the Rus struck back with most of the damage being borne by the Turks, Austrian empire & France.
There will be some parallels here, those caught in the crossfire - rather than their instigators - would suffer the most. The western long-range predators might again try to activate their u3 allies to do some dirty work. There is one further ancient conflict+++(??)+++ in all this which cannot be spoke of in public – how that would play out might have covert consequences.