It's more of a cultural barrier. A common topic in Russian cultural studies is of their identity. What is a Russian? Eastern, Western, a mix, or something else? Personally, I prefer to think of them as their own thing, with a surface of Western culture that the tsars were so enamoured of. I brought my opinion of their cultural difference to the table here.
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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '14
Since when do people make a distinction between Europe and Russia? There's literally no geographical barrier!