Two Centuries Of Western Aggression Against Russia / USSR
The West has been at war with Russia/USSR since it defeated Napoleon’s invasion and became a great power in 1812. Immediately after WW2, Winston Churchill wanted to go to war and destroy the Soviet Union (he had very much backed Western intervention in the Russian Civil War in 1918). This is not about Putin it is about the existence of an independent and strong Russia; something that is not acceptable to the West and was nearly lost in the 1990s post-Soviet collapse period. During this period Russia was being turned into a vassal of the West, and the Western preference was to breakup Russia into even smaller parts. Putin is demonized because he has methodically rebuilt Russia’s independence and has allied with China and Iran against Western aggression. This is what happens to those that do not accept Western dominance, they are demonized to facilitate aggression against them. Putin was a friend of the US in the Western press until 2003 when he asserted the Russian state’s independence; just as Saddam Hussein (Iraq) was a friend when he invaded Iran and poison-gassed its people, just like the narco-trafficker Manuel Noriega (Panama) was a friend until he disobeyed orders, just like Rousseff (Brazil) was a friend until she wouldn’t allow further US takeovers of strategic Brazilian assets, just like the Chinese leaders were friends until it became obvious that they would not allow their nation to become just another exploited cheap-labour province of the West.
Western aggression against Russia / USSR:
· 1812: French Invasion of Russia
· 1853: Crimean War (France/UK/Ottoman Empire)
· 1904: Japan Attack on Russian Far East
· 1914: WW1 (Germany)
· 1918: European Powers Intervention in Russia Civil War (US, UK, Canada, France, Romania, Greece, Italy, Japan)
· 1939: Japan attack on Mongolia
· 1941: WW2 (Germany)
· 1948-1989: Cold War
· 1999 onwards: Advancement of NATO across Eastern Europe to Russia’s borders
· 2008: Georgia attack on Russian peacekeepers (backed by the West)
The above does not include the Western-backed colour revolution in the Ukraine (2004/2005), the Western-backed Maidan coup in Ukraine (2014), the Western-backed destabilization of Russian ally Syria (2011 onwards) where Russia has a major military base, the Western-backed attempted coups in Belarus and Kazakhstan (2021) nor the extensive Western support for opposition elements in Russia until Western NGOs and diplomats were placed under proper control. Western leaders, especially US leaders, have repeatedly called for the overthrow of Putin’s government.
There is no way that Russia could accept a Ukraine that was being turned into a new Anti-Russian enemy only 500 miles from Moscow. The West knew this, but they would not accept two basic requests, (i) The Ukraine to be demilitarized and never enter NATO, (ii) the Minsk Accords, that are backed by a UNSC vote, to be implemented to stop the Ukrainian Civil War. Would the US accept a Canada or Mexico allied with Russia, with Russian military personnel situated within their borders? The Cuba missile crisis already provided the answer. Of course not, in fact since the 1800s the US has stated its lack of acceptance of any country in the Western Hemisphere that is not subservient to it. The misjudgements of the West have now turned Belarus, Kazakhstan (and the rest of Central Asia) and Ukraine into Russian allies, Russia into an ally of China and Iran, and have forced all nations to pick sides. Only the West has picked their own side, the rest have picked Russia and China either explicitly or by refusing to impose sanctions on Russia (India, Pakistan, ASEAN, GCC, South America, Africa and even Turkey). Even Hungary had to be forced to accept the sanctions, and France and Germany are vacillating given the huge impact of certain sanctions (e.g. cutting Russia off from the SWIFT US$ payments system) upon their economies.
For a more detailed history of Russia and its relationship with the West, there is the “Russia Case Study” chapter of my PhD dissertation The Combined Transitions of Great Power Politics and the Global Energy System A Comparative Analysis of China, the United States and Russia.