Given Russia's long history of bloody invasions, I don't think this is something Americans can at all relate to. The American Civil War is small potatoes compared to some of the things that Russians (and other continental countries) have been through.
It makes for a very paranoid country.
This is something which most European countries can relate to, but they don't use it (anymore) to justify imperialism.
However, I hope you can understand why a major power like Russia might be suspicious.
Someone is eating the Russian propaganda here. Projection and all.
> However, I hope you can understand why a major power like Russia might be suspicious.
It can be as suspicious as it wants, within its borders.
You need to take a walk, and I'm out too.
And anyway, it's not a war. It's a Special Military Operation. How more plain can you get?
No, this is almost not at all about NATO. This is about Ukraine drifting from Russian sphere of influence to the western sphere of influence. Russia would not allow Ukraine to join EU either, even if it promised to never enter NATO.
In short, this is about making Ukraine another Belarus.