Here's an excellent article on how russian colonialism and its flawed tenets have negatively influenced - one might accurately say, "infected" - some left-wing thinkers and influencers in the west, from Noah Chomsky and Cornel West, to once-respected journalists such as Glenn Greenwald.

Worse, it points out that even in the higher echelons of academia here, "Russian Studies" or "Eastern European Studies" programs are inculcated with a Muscovy-Moscow imperial viewpoint, reflecting the attitude that Ukraine - and all countries once under the Muscovy / Czarist / Soviet boot, are actually territories belonging to the Imperial Great Bear:

How Russian Colonialism Took The Western Anti-Imperialist Left For A Ride