Russia has been an expansionist force for centuries - long before the October revolution. There’s various explanations for this such as Russia constantly feelings vulnerable due to the vast plains to their west without any natural Geographics barriers. But instead of forging literally any true alliances or building any soft power with the nations in that area they just constantly antagonize all of them. The one country they have on side is Belarus and that’s because they have to constantly prop up its leader against the will of their people. No good will, only force.
The current former Soviet countries in that area have the distinct memory of living under Russian control during the USSR and shockingly - want no part of it again. So they join NATO. Voluntarily. To the tankie if someone wants to join NATO, no matter how rational their reasoning for doing so, it must be because the CIA and “the West” tricked them into it. Smaller countries and the people who live there never have any agency.
After the USSR , western political discourse was full of talk about whether NATO is obsolete. Russia did everything possible to prove that wrong.
From the historians I’ve read, the thinking is that most preindustrial colonial projects including Russia were vanity projects by rulers with little strategic thinking. As for the USSR it seems the goal was twofold. Spreading Soviet ideology and giving the USSR the resources to be a global player. It seems with the Russian Federation it’s mostly about getting the resources to stay as a global player, but it the whole picture probably will only be clear in hindsight like any historical event.
Russia has been an expansionist force for centuries - long before the October revolution. There’s various explanations for this such as Russia constantly feelings vulnerable due to the vast plains to their west without any natural Geographics barriers. But instead of forging literally any true alliances or building any soft power with the nations in that area they just constantly antagonize all of them. The one country they have on side is Belarus and that’s because they have to constantly prop up its leader against the will of their people. No good will, only force.
The current former Soviet countries in that area have the distinct memory of living under Russian control during the USSR and shockingly - want no part of it again. So they join NATO. Voluntarily. To the tankie if someone wants to join NATO, no matter how rational their reasoning for doing so, it must be because the CIA and “the West” tricked them into it. Smaller countries and the people who live there never have any agency.
After the USSR , western political discourse was full of talk about whether NATO is obsolete. Russia did everything possible to prove that wrong.
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Lol You’re using some creative coloring books
Next your going to say Russia isn’t trying to steal our precious bodily fluids.
Your knowledge of history appears to be…imaginary.
From the historians I’ve read, the thinking is that most preindustrial colonial projects including Russia were vanity projects by rulers with little strategic thinking. As for the USSR it seems the goal was twofold. Spreading Soviet ideology and giving the USSR the resources to be a global player. It seems with the Russian Federation it’s mostly about getting the resources to stay as a global player, but it the whole picture probably will only be clear in hindsight like any historical event.