NATO didn't push its influence East, the USSR lost it. The USSR also did not violently occupy and generally fuck up (e.g. Ceausescu) any of the other BRICS countries, which are too far away from Russia's sphere of influence to have any concern about Putin's jingoism, except perhaps China. They are simply too far away to be enemies. They also have mutual interests in destroying the burgeoning global village, particularly India and China with populations still decades away from humanistic enlightenment. There is no "fear Russia" propaganda going on in the West (propaganda would be structurally impossible anyway). However, there is an information bubble in Russia and for russophones in general, which includes the paranoiac illusion western countries are somehow "out to get Russia" which isn't based on any actual fact, but serves the official narrative very well.
Really Nato didn't push the influence?
January, 1994. At the Bruxelles meeting at the highest levels country leaders of NATO declare again that "door" in NATO remains open for other European countries.
September 28, 1995. Publication "Researches about NATO expansion".
July 8-9, 1997. At the Madrid meeting at the highest levels three partner countries – Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic – receive the offer to begin negotiations on the introduction.
March 12, 1999. Accession to NATO of Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic. Thus, in North Atlantic Treaty Organization 19 members
USA and Europe made a sanctions against Russia when Russia stopped the agression of Georgia also without any investigation, but sanctions were only half of year, before truth came out. What can I say about it? It is political game, not something like honesty.
DonNicko, just how many logical and unbiased conclusions can you draw from the facts that:
- A plane was shot down over UKR-rebel warzone
- Only UKR side had air forces (why would UKR target a plane in this scenario?)
- Rebels have previously shot down numerous UKR military planes
- Rebel leaders made announcements directly after the plane was shot down, that they had downed another UKR military plane.
Please, try to be honest. The rest of the world has already made the only conclusion possible.
Really I try to be honest, and I can say that the rest of the west not the world made the only conclusion right after the crash without any investigation, in 2001 Ukr army was training and shot the commercial plane which were flying From Israel by a system of BUK, why they can't do that again? Kuchma, president for that time, said that it happens and didn't admit their guilt. Did you saw the video I gave if not then watch. There are direct facts what Ukr BUKS were doing at the date of crash. Nobody blame Ukraine that that area where many ukr military planes were shot was still open. USA said that they have the indisputable proofs that rebels shot the plane, oh really. How many times Russia asked them to show that proofs? As I said it can be that that plane was shot by rebels, but then it should be like a miracle, because if they even had workable launching system of the BUK, it is too hard to shoot the plane that you even can't see.
And those facts that you wrote are like I don't know, there is only that facts? USA shot the commercial plane in 1988 near Iran, 300 people were dead, George Bush said that it happens on the war, and the didn't excuse. Any sanctions? Ofcourse not. Guantanamo Bay detention camp, what a great democratic camp. Any sanctions? Ofcourse not. Only I can see that the west really don't need direct proofs to blame Russia. USA supported rebels in Syria. Any sanctions? Ofcourse not. Maybe I'm wrong but it looks like political game, not that the West wants to save the Ukraine.
Russia is a huge country with a well-educated population, reasonable infrastructure and enormous resources. How can it be that people are better off in Poland? A 40m people country savaged by both wwii and communism? And they have nearly no resources or huge industries to speak of, except farming?
Just because we don't have any workable system yet. Because billions and billions of dollars were sent to the west in 90's, why people in Poland are better? What is your wages, just interesting. But maybe those sanctions will help to make our industry better)