I don’t think Putin is as naive as to try to bring back the USSR. He is trying to be a gangster and do gangster shit, and currently annoyed at the West because they’re interfering and bringing bullshit he doesn’t control closer in towards his sphere of influence than he wants them to be, and he wants to fuck them up for it and get back to doing his gangster shit. That’s it. It’s not overly complicated.

John Mearshimer has more analysis, parts of which I don’t agree with, but on Putin’s overall motivations I think he is pretty spot on.