[roenxi]

I am the first person to criticise the Russian sphere of influence. They did a terrible job from the rise of the proletariat through to today. Even I could do a better job if left to administer the country.

However to call them aggressors is a total perversion of the word aggression. Their posture is backs-to-the-wall defensive in relation to Western powers.

[dreen]

They are absolutely aggressors, and the defensive posturing is something they (Russian leaders) have used for centuries to excuse aggression. Their armies never conquer, they "liberate". This is not a tactic unique to them, but one they excel in.

[toyg]

> They did a terrible job from the rise of the proletariat

They did a terrible job even before that, with "The Great Game" and all that. In fact, it was so bad even their own people had had enough.

[redis_mlc]

No, Russian doctrine is to occupy neighboring countries to fight outside their own borders.

Just because they're afraid of having their "backs-to-the-wall" doesn't mean their doctrine is legitimate.

[redis_mlc]

Description of how Russian military doctrine resulted in the annexation of the Baltic states in WW2:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_the_Baltic_state...