Just as the Kremlin has done more than its fair share of destabilisation and sponsorship of rebels, this crisis aptly proves it to be true. The sad fact is that thousands of innocent people loose their lives so these politicians can further their own aims; its disgusting really and more sicking is the fact that some would even defend such behaviour.
What actions?
Actions such as accepting new members, increasing the size of it's military capabilities and removing any neutral zones of influence between Russia and NATO. If CSTO's membership had grown under any circumstances as much as NATO's had western governments would not be sitting idly by and letting it happen.
I think the main difference is.. Yes they joined NATO, mostly for the article 5 guaranteeing the assitance of the other states.
in practice NATO troops didn't get stationed in any meaningful numbers in any new members, because they didn't want to provoke Russia. Compare this in contrast with the massive military exercises and provocations RF has been running.
Only after Ukraine NATO started demonstrating deployment as an answer to RF actions. Before the fact, they kept out and away. There was and are ZERO signs that NATO actually wants to attack or contain RF in any military way.
But Russia has always feared this, it's something that was made quite clear in the post soviet period that that was a major concern of the RF so why would NATO do something that? NATO chiefs must surely have realised that the Kremlin will see as an attempt at encirclement/isolation, how the hell could they not? As such NATO has deliberately 'poked the bear' expanding its membership right up to Russia's border states.
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