The 'Russian Steamroller' — a term the British press adored — described a force so vast, so indifferent to its own losses, that no opponent could survive its slow, crushing weight. The legend held for generations. An army that defeated Napoleon, outlasted Hitler, matched America at the height of the Cold War. Even now, with an economy smaller than Italy's and a shrinking population, Russia still commands a seat at the high table of global dread. But here is what 1,500 days have quietly revealed: the Steamroller was never purely Russian. It was an imperial composite — and its most...