The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word TSARDOM
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
S
A
R
D
O
M
More clues leading to the result TSARDOM
- Leading couple in Fame turning up in Russia once?
- Celebrity succeeded going down with what Ivan had?
- Realm of old leader in generalissimo drastically knocked over
- Party involved in smart changes in leadership
- Mad sort going beserk in old ruler’s office
- Reign shown by star moving above cupola, leaving East
- Mad sort planned despotic rule
- Old Russia, say, had fame, but way back
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Russia once?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case russia once? = tsardom.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.