Crispin, your point of view seems predicated on the premise that Russia is expansive and imperialistic, and I fear you may have succumbed to the antiquated and peculiarly British fear and loathing of Russia and Russians that dates back over 200 years all the way to "The Great Game", when the British were worried that Russia was going to threaten the Jewel in the Crown (India) and the rest of British Empire holdings in Central Asia.

I wrote about this in my article, "Why the West Hates Russia", in which I posited that the blood lust expressed by the British against Russia is tantamount to a mental disorder, and the conflict in Ukraine is just one more chapter in a demented, centuries-long conflict in which the British seek to utterly destroy and lay low the Russians.

In order to justify this British bellicosity, Western elites, led by London, constantly push the FALSE narrative that Russia is expansionistic, that it somehow is not content with being the largest country on earth, spanning 11 time zones; that Russia still wants Europe.

This is patently insane. Why would Russia want to add a 12th time zone to its administrative burden? Why would Russia want to get involved in insurgencies, rebellions and perpetual wars, which would drain their economy and destroy the lives of the already 140 million plus average Russians?

Why would a giant nation with virtually unlimited natural resources want to spend blood and treasure conquering new lands, when it has barely scratched the surface of its own riches?

When faced with these arguments, Russophobes like the British fall back on "Putin is Hitler" arguments.

"Logic doesn't matter, Putin is a madman, a megalomaniac, bent on conquest no matter what" - when there is absolutely ZERO evidence to back up such an assertion.

I find it truly lamentable.