> NATO was zero threat to Russia. It was oriented defensively. <
I actually posted that exact thing here about six months ago. Then another FReeper gently corrected me. NATO was used offensively both in Libya and in Kosovo. By golly, he was right.
It is also worth noting that Russia was invaded not once but three times from Europe (by Napoleon, by Wilhelm II, by Hitler). Those invasions are part of the Russian memory. It is foolish to discount that memory.
> The Ukrainians are not only good guys but the greatest of guys. <
If you’re referring to the average Ukrainians, I most certainly agree. They are being subject to a terrible war, one their country did not start.
As for the Ukrainian leadership, I just don’t know. Are they really behaving in their country’s best interests, or are they just puppets?
So if NATO interferes in a couple of small countries in the former Yugoslavia, that makes them a threat to the eleven-time-zone country of Russia. No!
You could make a case that many world leaders, past and present, have been greatly influenced by powers behind the throne, but typically the string pullers have rivals and conflicts of their own. And sometimes they pull the string but don’t get the full response as the ego of the front man increases.