The seeds of confrontation. Have we got too big for our boots? Always, we lot rule the world and disregard the UN (eg our man Bibi)

THE PROBLEM - a reluctance to walk in Putrid's boots, to see things from his angle.

Mixture of Russian nationalism, Russian pride in its history of fighting and beating off invaders like France with Napoleon and Germany with Hitler ... 

Now, perhaps, Russia wants to see off further former satellite states
being taken over by American/European influence.  So we come to Ukraine falling out of love with Putrid and deserting him for America/Europe.  Ukraine is a very, very big country to fall into the Western Camp.  Not surprisingly, our Revolution of Dignity in Feb 2014 was the last straw for Putrid.  Hence, he took back Crimea and started eating away at eastern Ukraine.

IN ADDITION:

Russian Pride in refusing to launch an all-out nuclear attack on America when it's subs were being depth charged during the Cuban Missile confrontation - spoken about by both Michael Portillo and Bruce Kent.  Russia was simply following our lead when we put Jupiter missiles near the Russian border - in Turkey.

Putrid remains incensed by American/Western eastwards expansionism (Corbyn's concern). Our side failed to keep its verbal, only undertakings over E Germany not being allowed Into NATO. But difficult to avoid with German unification!  Did that come too soon, as Margaret Thatcher thought and did not want?

Once E Germany was lost to NATO and the West, all the other former Warsaw Pact members were lost to Russia.  This must have niggled inside Purtrid's brain for years.  Finally, he snapped over Checknya and Georgia.

Our NATO/all things Western/American enthusiasts in Ukraine should have waited for the next General Election to oust their opponent Yanukovych.  Peaceful protest in some countries quickly turn to violence, as happened here.  Our side calls it the Revolution of Dignity in Feb 2014.  It led to all-out war in February 2022 after the BBC reported 14,000 dead since the Maidan Sq revolution.  Ukraine needed to walk a tightrope in not upsetting their neighbour Putrid but, this is probably impossible, I know.  Wikipedia reported:

In November 2013, a wave of large-scale protests known as "Euromaidan" began in response to President Yanukovych's decision not to sign a political association and free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), instead choosing closer ties to Russia. Euromaidan soon developed into the largest democratic mass movement in Europe since 1989.^[29] Earlier that year the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) had overwhelmingly approved finalizing the agreement;^[30] Russia had pressured Ukraine to reject it.^[31]

Maybe, enormous military alliances, like NATO are more of a hindrance than a help.  Gorbachev was replaced in 1991.  We should have disbanded NATO when the Warsaw Pact was disbanded in the 90s but American/Western power and arrogance meant that was out of the question.  We must always be the Top Dominating Dog, rather than working for equality and balance and peaceful co-existence, as we had with MAD.  Top Dog in the Persian Gulf since the World War, part One but disrupted ... see:

"the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, (SELF: US/UK invasion and occupation in 2001-2021) but SALT 2 terms were honoured by both sides, although the US Senate did not ratify it.  In response to the Soviet invasion, the president announced what came to be known as the Carter Doctrine (President from 1977-81) -- that the United States would defend its interests in the Persian Gulf with military force if necessary."  Wikipedia   SELF: Hence, Top Dog, too in the Persian Gulf.

TOP DOG, the American-led Westerners, defeated in Iran in 1979.  From Wikipedia:-

"The Islamic Revolution in 1979 toppled the U.S.-backed shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and brought to power a group of clerics led by exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Carter granted the ailing shah political asylum, to the anger of many Iranians.

"In late 1979, a group of hardline Iranian students who were believed to have had the tacit support of Khomeini stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage. They demanded the return of the shah and an apology for past actions by the United States in Iran."

FURTHER READING:  Martin Sixsmith's new book, 'Putin and the Return of History: How the Kremlin Rekindled the Cold War'