Although NATO expansion doesn't seem to be an actual cause; notably, it didn't matter when Baltic states joined NATO. However, the embarrassment from a failed coup with pro-Russian Yanukovych in 2004 and later him getting ousted in 2014 could be the sparks for vengeance.

Russia’s actions reflect its own imperial ambitions. Rather than supporting the Ukrainian working class in determining its future, Russia has sought to dominate Ukraine through economic pressure, political manipulation, and military force. This mirrors classic imperialist behavior, where a dominant power suppresses national self-determination to maintain its own sphere of influence. The war in Ukraine is not a struggle against the West but a competition between capitalist empires, with Ukraine caught in the middle.