I’ve been reading a lot in the Russian and Ukrainian media over the last couple of months using google translate and I can tell you my impression is that it goes much, much deeper.
My own view is that NATO is not the deepest level of the problem, it’s the EU. That Ukraine and Belarus could join the EU is the greatest fear to Putin’s vision of a Moscow-dominated region, sort of his own EU, the heart of which would be Russia-Belarus-Ukraine-Kazakstan, but could expand from there.
NATO is just the way these countries might protect their right to self-government from Moscow in order to make the choice to join the EU.
It’s about the deepest desire of the populations themselves for prosperity and progress.
Thanks, interesting take on the EU angle, and it does make sense. However, one advantage that Putin does have if he tries to create an Eastern EU is that the countries there will not have to worry about being forced to have Drag Queens run their schools.