1. The USSR failed and there was freedom for all the satelite states.
2. Over a decade, Russia changed its tactics to winning the world by free trade.
3. The US wanted Russian lands and property.
4. The US start moving NATO closer and closer to Russia.
5. Russia let their free trade overcome this initial NATO repositioning, rather than making a direct response against the US.
6. The US, using Ukraine (one of the most corrupt countries in the world), started moving Nazi troupes in, which started guerilla tactics in and out of Russia, against her.
7. For years Russia begged the US to stop the tactics of the Ukraine Nazi military, but the US only doubled down on the guerilla attacks on Russia border lands.
8. Finally, after the US set up bio-warfare labs in Ukraine, and started getting serious about making her a NATO member, Russia attacked out of self-defense.
9. The US used her bullying might to attempt to cut off Russian trade from the rest of the world through sanctions.
10. Many nations formally bowed to the US, but secretively continued trade with Russia, NOT using the US petro-dollar, but using barter and other currencies, including payment in military equipment to Russia.
11. Russian wealth increased dramatically, through trade, through certain strategic methods to fight the sanctions, through weapons taken from Ukrainian troupes, through sale of Ukrainian products taken in the conquered Ukrainian lands, etc., BECAUSE...
12. Nazi's of the past were never a match for Russians, and Ukrainian Nazi soldiers still aren't today.
13. Now, Russia is starting to copy NATO tactics by moving troupes into Nicaragua.
If you throw other nations into the explanation, things become more complex. It isn't easy to see most of what is going on. Regarding Ukraine, Russia probably wasn't acting in self-defense 100%, but they were acting in such a way to a great extent.
In the past, Russia found that it couldn't win by force. The USSR failure showed them that. So, they did what other nations were doing... free trade. And they were winning and growing in their friendly free trade... something the US and Western Europe couldn't stand. So, these nations attempted to block Russia using the Ukraine.
Now that it is backfiring on the US, expect to see much of Western Europe turn their backs on the US, and make peace with Russia. At the same time, expect to see Russia continue with her NATO-like tactics against the US, and move combat troupes into American nations south of the US, and probably into Canada from the Northern Polar regions.
Note that China, while smiling in a friendly way with the US sort-of, is preparing to add the strength of their numbers to the coming, Russian invasion of the US.