About the book: 2014 / The Russian Empire was created over centuries. In some places it grew through wars, as was the case with Central Asia, in others through agreements (Ukraine), and in others through voluntary entry (Georgia). In Soviet times, the topic of Russian colonization was practically not raised in historical science. “Russian imperialism” seemed to be the same negative phenomenon as any other “imperialism”, and if we had to talk through clenched teeth about the colonial policy of the Russian Empire, then they did not spare black colors. Only today are the names of the great Russian historians who studied and systematized information about how our country grew and expanded, what benefits it brought to all peoples on its territory without exception. One of them is Matvey Lyubavsky, the last pre-revolutionary rector of Moscow University. He became the author of numerous publications and studies devoted to the creative aspects of Russian colonial policy. Unfortunately, this is precisely what he had to pay for: in the 30s, Lyubavsky died in exile. In his most famous work, “Russian Colonization,” Lyubavsky, for the first time in Russian historical science, gives a broad picture of the growth and formation of the Russian Empire throughout its existence from the times of Kievan Rus and until the beginning of the 20th century.