You don't think people in position of power in Russia has any kind of real beliefs? You think they fully trust the West and think we have all the best intentions, but they are just seeking to exploit that?

If you read about Russian mentality, one thing that becomes quickly clear is that while they are cynical about their own leadership, they also are cynical about the West. It is what I have noticed interacting with cynical people over many years when discussing politics.

These people accept that their countries are corrupt to the core, but they rarely want to admit that there are other countries which actually work and which have honest politicians and leaders. They will laugh at you and tell you that you are naive. That your leaders are just better at covering it up.

I have seen this when discussing doping in skiing. My native Norway tends to win cross country skiing year after year. People from countries caught cheating with doping are convinced that we are cheating just as much in Norway, but have not yet been caught. This is how cynic rationalize all their cheating and immoral behavior. They convince themselves that everybody else cheats and lies so they can do it as well.

The image you paint here are of Russians as cartoon villains. In Hollywood movies villains always seem to know they are the bad guys and also seem to know that the good guy is pure hearted. They laugh the good guys in their face for their kindess and pure heartedness. Reality is not like that. Bad people tend to not think of themselves as bad. They think they are just doing all the bad stuff everybody else is doing. They don't believe in heroes. They self-victimize.

I have observed a Russian and Pole debate history before at a party. They have both learned entirely different versions of history. They live in different reality. That is why it is pointless to assume Poles or other Eastern Europeans somehow know how Russians think. No they don't, because they were not brainwashed by the same system. They got taught a different variant of reality.

I am not claiming to know exactly how Russians think. That would be foolish. I am simply stating a very obvious fact: Their understanding of the world and of history is nothing like ours. We got to stop pretend that it is. They actions are based on an alterantive understanding of the world, different from ours.

I say "ours," but even that is a half-truth. I dicovered quickly when living in the US e.g. that how history is taught is again a different version than the one I grew up with. We all live in slighly alternate realities, but some of those realities have a lot more overlap than others. I would like to think most of us in the West have a more common understanding.

Lastly, I am obviously not endoring Russia in any way. If you came away with that impression, then I think you read my article in a very uncharitable fashion.