And the ordinary Russian remembers that Russia has been invaded by foreigners so many times--Swedes, French, "Allies," Germans, and more, so he is a little paranoid about NATO getting closer to the borders. And of course living under the Tsar and then the Reds kept the culture of paranoia "alive and well." And Putin plays that like a fiddle.
I agree with Dan that "The Economist," whatever you think of its overall politics, is about the most objective source of European news available to the average reader. And yeah, as my old boss used to say "Nothing is EVER simple."
