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Great Britain's natural Borders are the seas that surround the Island. India's natural borders are the seas that Surround the Sub-Continent and the Himalayas (This is way Pakistan and India dislikes each other so much, they both are in the same "Country").
France's Natural Borders are the Pyrenees to the South, the Atlantic to the West, the English Channel to the North and the Alps in the SOuth West. Germany's natural borders in the Alps to its south, the Carpathian Mountains to its east and th e narrow neck of Denmark to its north. Germany and France natural borders overlap in the Rhine Vally. Thus both countries end up fighting each other over where the borders should be. Charlemagne's son Leo the Pius, may have had the best solution for when he died, he dived his kingdom into three parts, France, Germany and the "Middle Kingdom" which consisted of present day Netherlands, Belgium, Alsace Lorraine, Switzerland and Italy. By the Time of of the founding of the Holy Roman Empire in 900 AD, the Middle kingdom and Germany had become one nation, and the story of France and Germany has been the slow movement of France to take over parts of the Middle Kingdom AND for parts of the Middle Kingdom to become Independent (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland). The Reason for this is their in NO natural BOrder between France and Germany (Rivers do NOT make good borders, people travel on them by boat, or along them by wagon or automobiles). Mountains make good Borders, Rivers make lousy borders.
Egypt is borders by the Desert and the First Cataract on the Nile. Iraq is the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Brazil is the Amazon, while Argentina is the River Platte and the huge flat countryside to that River's South. The US Natural Borders include Canada (WHich for political reason remains Independent legally while slowly become more and more part of the American Economy). The US Southern BOrder is really NOT the Rio Grand, but the areas where water flows into the Rio Grand (And Mexico's Northern Natural Border includes the area that flows into the Rio Grand). Given the power difference between Mexico and the US, the Rio Grand has NOT been a factor any any conflict since 1848, but like the Rhine between France the Germany, a potential point of Conflict do the the natural overflow of both countries into that area.
The brings me to Russia. What is its Natural Western Border? Russia is on the Eurasian Plane. a flat piece of ground that except for the Ural Mountains, goes from the Pacific to the Baltic (And the Ural Mountains are NOT a real barrier like most mountains, AND their stop 2/3 of the way into the Steppes, thus NOT a serious impediment to travel). The Natural Western Border is The Silesia Mountains of what is now Western Poland. Thus the "Natural Western" border for Russia includes Poland, the Baltic States, and those parts of Eastern Europe that does not flow into the Danube.
Russian Southern Border? The Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, but the Black Sea is like a River, more to connect people than to separate people, but for out purposes lets call the Black Sea Russia's Southern Border. The Mountains of Iran is another barrier, but that leaves most of the Former Soviet States of Asia clearly within the natural border of Russia (Afghanistan in the exception, for it is in the Mountains that is a true barrier to Russia. When it comes to Mongolia and the Border with China, you have a overlap like the Rhine again, The Great Wall represents the Southern Most claim Russia has to a Natural Border with China. As to the Natural Northern Border, the only natural border would be the lime where people can no longer farm (and that would mean most of the areas of Siberia where people live is is land both Russia and China has a "natural" claim on (Notice I said NATURAL claim not a LEGAL claim).
Thus you have huge populations within natural borders of Russia that do NOT what to be part of Russia, but at the same time has to deal with the fact they are in the same "Natural Country" as Russia. This leads to conflict, just like the Rhine has been the source of Conflict between France and Germany since at least the days of Julies Caesar. To deal with these Conflict Russia needs an army, which by its natural must be able to invade these potential enemies. Thus the tendency to imperialism, it just comes from the Geography.
On top of this many countries that border the Natural Borders have invaded Russia. The Germans were big into this from the time of the Viking till the Battle of Tannenbaum (Where the Poles put a halt to German aggression into the areas discussed above till Poland itself was divided up in the late 1700s). Germany has also invaded during the Napoleonic wars (As ally of Napoleon), and during WWI and WWII. Sweden also invaded Russia, both as a base for the Viking, but again in the 1700s under Christian X (and as Allies of Napoleon in the early 1800s). Poland is within the natural borders of Russia, but it has also invaded Russia, but never as part of a permanent conquest, more a dispute as to were the Russian-Polish border should be. Such a Border is always an Arbitrary line in the sand, and thus grounds for constant conflict.
The Byzantine Empire fielded armies in what is now Russia in the Dark Ages, to expand its influence, when the Turks took over Constantinople from the Greek Byzantines, the Turks launched several expeditions to grab territories in what in now the Ukraine. Tamerlane in the 1400s used Iran and the Former Soviet States of Central Asia as his base to attack the Golden Horde that then ruled what we would call Russia. The Golden Horde itself was descendent's from the Mongols of the 1200s, who after conquering Northern China attacked Russia (With the Aid of Chinese Troops). India is NOT exempt, for Britain used it as its base to attack Russia's interest in Central Asia during the 1800s.
My point is Russia has reasons to fear its "Natural" neighbors. Germany, Sweden, Greece, Turkey, Iran, China has all attacked Russia at one time or another. On top of that you have "internal" disputes with other people within the "natural border" of Russia, the Poles, the Ukrainians, the Belarus Russians, the Latvian, Lithuanians and Estonians of the Baltic, the various Central Asiatic people along with the Mongols. These people have had to deal with each other AND Russia in a way to settle disputes as to where the borders of the people living within the natural borders of Russia should claim as their own. The Visula is Clearly Polish, but how far east does being a pole exists? The Don is a Ukrainian River, but where does the Ukraine end and Poland begin? Where does Russian begin? Given no natural borders any border is arbitrary and capricious and subject to change.
Thus Russia has reason for an "Imperious" policy, it has been victim of other countries "Imperialism" and has no natural borders NOT populated by people who are NOT Russians. Thus Geography explains Russian Imperialism better than anything else including their DNA.
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