Personally I took that "in russia" like I would with "in europe...insert generalization here". As in Russia the general area, not specifically the country. Similarly we still refer to a good part of the Balkans as ex-Yugoslavia.
Unlike Europe (which is not a state) or Yugoslavia (which no longer exists), Russia is a country actively trying to expand its borders by force. So using "in russia" as a geographic generalization seems inappropriate to me.
Using ex-USSR or ex-Russian Empire would be factually correct, but bestowing "borderlessness" onto Russia is a harmful thing in my opinion.
