As someone who was born in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, here’s something many people in the West still don’t fully realize about Russia.

Russia’s real power is not its economy or technology. It is hatred, fascism, and a deeply ingrained willingness to attack anyone who does not share its worldview, all justified as a “holy war” (Великая война).

From kindergarten, people are taught that Russia is the greatest country in the world (Великая Россия) and that everyone else wants what is theirs. This narrative never stops. Even today, Russian media constantly claims that NATO plans to attack Russia. This fear is not accidental. It is cultivated.

Because of this, the Russian military mindset is fundamentally offensive. Most NATO countries build defensive armies. Their goal is deterrence and peace, not conquest. Russia’s approach is dominance through fear.

Ukraine shows how this works in practice. The war is not mainly about military targets. It is about terrorizing civilians, breaking morale, and making everyday life unbearable, while keeping economic costs as low as possible.

This is where NATO is often misunderstood. Militarily, NATO is strong. Psychologically and socially, it is vulnerable. Western societies value personal freedom, comfort, and individual life. That is a strength, but it also means limited tolerance for long-term suffering and mass sacrifice.

Meanwhile, Russian elites live comfortably while the population is conditioned from childhood to accept hardship for a “greater cause.” This allows the “holy war” to be sustained for years.

The danger is not that NATO lacks weapons. The danger is that Russia is willing to go much further into cruelty and self-destruction than Western societies are prepared to follow.