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I don't know that I'm so worried about it being something from the past reborn, but it being a new monster, building on the experiences of the past, pulling bits from Stalinist and Fascist playbooks as they are useful to create an even more effective dictatorial regime.
Russia is an aggressive world power that has been down on the mat for a while. That makes it ripe for the kind of appeals to nationalism that autocratic regimes make. While Russia's military as a whole is decrepit, Putin has funneled money into key strategic areas such as space and nuclear forces, a sort of flag staking that indicates a desire to retain Russia's military position in the world until she recovers enough to fill in the holes.
I see China as a stronger and more difficult threat to deal with over the next 20-30 years. Russia is at least not subtle in how they approach things. That's not a knock on them, just an observation. China's strategy is much more nuanced and at least right now, has much greater momentum behind it.
None-the-less, Russia warrants a close eye over the coming years, for they are not about to accept a back-bench role in the world sitting down.
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