My reference to hordes had to do with the original impetus to expansion, but as to the notion of geographic barriers being outdated, Operation Barbarossa happened within living memory. Geographic barriers mean a lot less when a nation has nuclear weapons.

As far as it no longer being an empire, then why does it have an internal army (the VVMVD)?

In order to be a democracy (or a republic) the Russians need to relinquish control to the results of RF-wide elections (given recent history, that means someone else needs to be counting the votes). I expect that to happen approximately never.

Also, democratic or not, in order to have industry a country needs to have a large number of working age at least somewhat educated people. We both know what's happened to the Russian educational system post collapse. The USSR's educational system was world class, but the last people to come out of that are approaching retirement age.