Moscow signals concern for Russians in Estonia

[happyslug]

38. So Putin, fears NATO will use Estonia as a base against Russia?

Remember, the Baltic countries of Latvia and Estonia was the base the Teutonic Knights used to attack Moscow between the 1200s and the 1500s. Sweden replaced the Knights in the 1600s. AS did the Danes in the same period (Through at least one time as an ally if Russia against Sweden).

Lithuania, was independent during the days of the Knights (through along with Poland often a target of the Knights). Poland and Lithuania also attacks Russia, but used themselves as the base as oppose to Latvia and Estonia. In fact the last time the Capital of Russia fell to an enemy, it was the Poles in 1610 (Yes, Napoleon took Moscow in 1812, but failed to hold it for more then a few months AND the capital of Russia at that time was St Petersburg, through in most ways Moscow was the more important of the two cities even under the Czars ruling from St Petersburg).

In 1610, the Poles took Moscow, in a Summer Campaign, but that Campaign was more of a take over of Moscow by pro-Polish Russian Nobility then a true Polish-Russian fight (The Poles seems to have wanted a Polish-Lithuanian-Russia joint kingdom, but the King of Poland proceeded to wreck that possibility by demand that the Russian all turn Catholic). A lot of in fighting between on both sides, as the nobility of both sides changed sides when it was advantageous to them).

Poland and Lithuania was also the base Napoleon used in 1812, and what Germany used to attack Russia in 1915 (After Taking Poland from Russia in 1914) and in 1941 (After Germany divided Poland with the Soviet Union in 1939).

The Crimea was the base for Roman Attacks on Sarmatians during the time of the Roman Empire The Sarmatians controlled what is not the Ukraine), the Byzantine Empire attack both Bulgarians in the 600s the Khazars in the 700, when both controlled the Ukraine and southern Russia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Great_Bulgaria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khazars#Khazars_and_Byzantium

The Arabs also attack the Khazars in the 700s.

The above people had all been headers, the Slavs slowly replaced them for they were farmers, becoming the dominate power in what is today the Ukraine and Russia in the 800s. This did not stop wars with the Greeks in Constantinople nor the Arabs (and then the Turks, as the Arabs hired Turks to do their actual fighting after about 750 AD):

As Asia Minor went from the Byzantine Empire to the growing Ottoman Empire after 1200s, it was the Ottomans that replaced both the earlier Seljuk Turks, Arabs and Greeks in attacks on the Ukraine and Southern Russia, attacks that continued till the 1700s when Russia achieved naval superiority over the Turks in the Black Sea (and that could be broken, as the British and French did during the Crimean War of the early 1850s).

Sorry, Russia sees a lot of enemies all around it. The Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic States were NOT viewed as a threat, until NATO expanded into those areas. As NATO expanded into those areas, then they became potential bases to attack Russia. The most recent decision to expand NATO to include even the Ukraine is crossing a red line with Russia. The Ukraine as an independent State is NOT a threat to Moscow, but as a potential base to attack Russia it is a threat. The same with the Baltics and Poland (Finland could be added to that list, but since WWII it has refused to form any alliance with anyone hostile to Moscow and thus not a potential base for someone else to attack Russia).

Russia's idea situation is the Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and the Ukraine NOT be members of NATO. Moscow, could accept them being a member of NATO, but no NATO troops. The same go for Poland, but Poland join NATO while Russia was still going down hill in the 1990s and thus Russia could NOT do anything about it (and the same reason why Russia did not object to Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania joining NATO in the 1990s).

Sorry, Russia has concerns about the countries around Russia. NATO and the US needs to address those concerns. Instead we are telling Russia to accept it. Russia so dislikes what appears to be an attempt to set up a quick conquest of Russia that they will everything they can to prevent such a set up. It is to late to complain about NATO expansion, but it is not to late to undo the damage, given Putin is facing sanctions anyway for the Crimea.

This is NOT the act of some power hungry mad man, but the act of someone who sees his country being surrounded by potential enemies, all with aims to take over his country. I hate to say this, almost anyone in his same situation will do what he is doing, and if NATO did not expect it, they would never have expanded to include Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland into NATO in the 1990s.