Russia is the largest country in Europe by total area when transcontinental countries are included, although most of its territory lies in Asia.
The conventional boundary between Europe and Asia follows features including the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, and Caucasus region. Russia’s European portion is smaller than its Asian portion but still larger than any other European country’s total territory.
Ukraine is the largest country located entirely within Europe by commonly used geographic definitions. France can appear in different comparisons because its overseas regions and territories may or may not be included, but it remains smaller than Russia in total area.
Russia’s European region contains Moscow, Saint Petersburg, the Volga basin, and many of the country’s largest population centres. This concentration explains why Russia’s population and political institutions are strongly centred in its western portion despite its huge Asian expanse.