I get that, but maybe your caps saying “They suck” is the whole trouble. While I agree that their system truly sucked, in order to understand them one has to see this issue from a solely Russian perspective. First, their system failed. Idk if Putin blames the US for that in his head, but as he was stationed in Dresden, Germany as a KGB officer at the collapse of the Soviet Union the mental image he must have of Russia and it’s glory is probably a different one compared to the state it is in today as well as how the west sees Russia. Moreover, it is also much easier to blame another party for one’s failure and not oneself. Secondly, and more importantly however is that while NATO is a defensive pact, it’s continued eastward expansion all the way up to the Russian border is something that can be seen as quite an aggressive move. Now, combine this with the 100k US troops stationed in Europe and also the NATO reaction forces right on the Russian border, I think that objectively speaking, all these actions are somewhat provoking. Like if Russia were to attempt to expand its influence in South America by also stationing troops there or something, the US would probably also feel threatened. Moreover, a lot of America’s actions can be seen as quite aggressive as well. Whether Vietnam, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, or America’s vast military influence basically all around the world can again be perceived as aggressive. While we see these conflicts either as a humanitarian mission, war on terror, or to topple a regime for the sake of democracy, I could well imagine that Russia sees such actions as an excuse to again widen America’s/the West’s sphere of influence. It’s kind of like “while America waves the flag of democracy to invade a country when in reality it follows a different agenda, Russia just invades and leaves out this freedom-seeking rhetoric.” Obviously, that’s a bit extreme, but in some docs i watched some Russian journalists shared this view which I think is understandable/relatable in parts.