Yeah it is all bullshit. All the Eastern European countries that could, joined NATO in speedrun, because they knew Russia will claim them back as soon as it is capable to do so. Ukraine and Belarus decided to maintain good relationships, and look at how it paid back.

Russia is a cancer and the countries that hate them the most are their closest neighbors, exactly because they know what kind of cunt the Mother Russia is.

Because that would remove Georgia from Russia's sphere of influence. They could no longer de facto dominate Georgia and Georgia would already be armed if a conflict with NATO started.

They do offer their own pact, called the CSTO, Collective Security Treaty Organization.

I think that's why they invaded Georgia, overt greed. To be fair that also plays a role in NATO expansion. NATO won't accept a country that can't pull its own weight unless it has some kind of strategic value or economic value. It must be worth defending.

They didn't plan to join NATO. Ukraine had a single digit percentage interest in NATO before crimea.

Moves were being made to join NATO back in 2008, but progress was shelved when pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was elected. He was driven out of the country, Russia took Crimea, and then NATO seemed like a particularly good idea.

Russia doesn't want Eastern European countries in NATO, because it makes it much harder to take them over.

I would also add that it takes them out of the Russian sphere of influence, which is Russia's main concern. Why take over a country if they cooperate with you?

NATO is a defensive alliance, and is no danger to Russia except for their imperialist goals. Best example of it is after Finland joined NATO Russia removed their troops from that border. That's right Russia now has less troops there than they had when they were imaging Ukraine.

Well, yes it's defensive. No NATO country will attack Russia. However, I'd argue that Russia sees it as more than defensive. Each country that joins the alliance is one less country that Russia can dominate de facto. It's militarily defensive, but that comes after an economic amd political offensive that removes the country from Russia's influence. Now you might think, well, those countries entered that agreement voluntarily, and I'd say you're correct, but Russia doesn't care how it happened. They were taken from Russia as far as Russia is concerned.

I'd also argue that the troop removal from thr Finnish border may have more to do with needing troops in Ukraine than it would defending St Petersburg from Finland.

And one last thing: even if it was true, since when Russia can decide for sovereign nation who they form alliances with? The excuse to invade looks exactly as the same bullshit Nazi Germany invented with Poland (both claiming to save German minorities and also that was actually planning to invade Germany). They are not even original.

Well they did decide in 2008 in Georgia and they just did in Ukraine. Yes, their justification was mostly BS for domestic consumption, but that doesn't really matter in the end. Other imperialist countries do this, like the US, China, France, etc, but they're more subtle and you're in the West's media bubble, making it really hard to get an impartial source.

As much as I agree with your overall arguement, I just want to point out that the main reason why russia now has fewer troops along the finnish and norwegian border is because they needed to reinforce the donbass leather factory. If they had the resources, the manpower on the border would probably remain the same.

To be fair, Lapland contains Santa Clauses' workshop.

Imagine the support the West would give to save Christmas.

/S

You're mostly right, but in the interest of accuracy: Ukraine was making moves to join NATO way back in 2008, (possibly because of Russia's invasion of Georgia) but plans were put on hold when pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych was president. Once a coup kicked him out of office and Russia seized Crimea, NATO membership became a high priority.

Unfortunately it's much easier and faster for Russia to start a war than it is to join NATO. A country can't join NATO if they're at war or have border disputes.

Those countries were already well outside their sphere of influence. I don't think they care.

lol, no.