Russia's former Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs in the USSR) are now its Near Abroad. These regions have been a major focus recently when Russia took back the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine last year. Russia also helped tiny ethnic minorities South Ossetia and Abkhazia break away from Georgia in the 2008 Russia-Georgia war (see map below). Right now, after Ukraine, Georgia is Russia's #2 concern in the Near Abroad.
Russia is trying to deepen its already strong economic links in giant Kazakhstan, on its southeastern frontier as you mention, and also Belarus, two huge countries which occupy a large percentage of its borders.
In Eastern Europe, however, the Baltics states Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia virtually no chance to sliding back into the Russian sphere, they are all happily part of the European Union and NATO now. Obama specifically mentioned these countries in a speech in Estonia last year.
Obama in Estonia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZgqOQDrTAQ
In Russia's Caucasus mountains region, there are seemingly endless small ethnic groups, many seeking their own country, but often left with their own republics inside Russia. For example, Chechnya has tried to break from Russia, very violently, for years. Many but not all of the ethnic groups are Islamic. You probably remember the Boston marathon bombers from Chechnya, an example of the extremism that some parts of this region have bred.
Even with North and South Ossetia on the map, you can see that the single Ossetian ethnic group has been split between Russia and Georgia. The small regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia tried to break away from Georgia in 2008, setting off the Russia-Georgia War of 2008, and now the areas are occupied by Russia. It's a good example of how dicey the Caucasus region is. It's also a beautiful mountain region with ancient folk cultures.
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