USSR creates Soviet Republic of Ukraine. Cold war anticommunism creates NATO. After the fall of the USSR, NATO repeatedly expands despite the USSR no longer existing, and therefore its explicit justification disappearing. Ukraine also got independence during this time, a combination of nationalist sympathizers and Western-induce balkanization. Ukraine is not unified in this nationalism, particularly regionally, with the East having an ethnic tie and political affinity for Russia. Ukraine has a particularly shitty time after the fall of the USSR with mass unemployment and drop in quality of life. It also never establishes "strong democratic institutions" and has rampant governmental corruption. Westerners jump on a golden opportunity of Euromaidan: the political leader of Ukraine had been sidling up to Russia but also creating intense internal opposition (there were legitimate concerns against him). The West supports the uprising and makes it color revolution-ie. It should also be noted that Nazis are a big part of the color revolution and gain their political legitimacy during this time. Leader is deposed/couped. Eastern Ukraine is not a fan, declares independence, gets Russian assistance. Civil War. Ukraine, again, makes Nazis fully legitimate in their political system. Trains and arms Nazis to fight as paramilitaries in the civil war. Gets Western material support to do so.

West characterizes all of this as Russian aggression and threatens Russia to stay out of it.