German Obukhov - about the thirst for revenge In 1914, the Russian Empire spilled at 21,837,400 square kilometers, second only to the English Empire (almost seven million) with its many overseas colonies. Four decades later, the Soviet Union possessed almost the same territory (at 22,402,200 sq. Km.), Analyzing the Baltic countries, Western regions of Belarus and Ukraine, Bessarabia, and after the war, East Prussia and the Kuril Islands.