the 3 centuries of progress started by Peter The Great - importing European values, educated people and technology, science and education - made that Grand Duchy of Moscow into the, in various times in various aspects, great country of Russia (Russian Empire, USSR). Peter The Great "opened windows" into Europe and to Caucasus (for example in the military expedition of 1724 Peter The Great signed treaty with the Armenian dukes). Putin had been actively reversing that process - under him Russia rejected European values, kicked out or suppressed many educated people, and the Russian tech, science and education is going straight downhill. Putin "closed the European and Caucasus windows". Russia is quickly returning back to that state of the backwater Grand Duchy of Moscow.