The research focuses on examining the impact of Russian imperialism on post-Soviet countries. Beginning with a review of colonial literature, comparing European, Soviet, and Russian colonialism, I then focus on detangling Russian colonization strategy. In this study, I develop a framework for analyzing Russian colonial strategies with the help of a self-constructed indicator. The Russian Colonial Impact Indicator is used to explore the relationship between the intensity of Russian colonial impact and the quality of institutions in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The analysis is based on institutional measures such as Democracy, Global Freedom, Economic Freedom, Corruption Perceptions Index, and Worldwide Governance Indicators.