I grew up in Russia (obligatory fuck Putin), and my mom would make borscht every couple of weeks. While I never had the exact recipe, and I don’t measure things anymore, this recipe is as close as it gets to my mom’s soup. The only difference is she would add a green bell pepper instead of the tomatoes.
It’s a bit involved (and your kitchen will look like you murdered someone because of the beets), but it’s worth the effort!
It’s absolutely better the next day, I’ll actually try to make it a day in advance if I’m making it for someone else, but if it’s for myself I’m too impatient, and I eat a bunch of it as soon as it’s made.