Russia tried to negotiate security guarantees with NATO five years ago, but the alliance ignored Moscow's concerns. The fall of 2021 was particularly indicative in this regard, political scientist Alexei Nechiev told the VZGLYAD newspaper. On October 6, NATO announced the expulsion of eight Russian diplomats and the reduction of our representation in the alliance by half. Later, on October 12-13, US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland flew to Moscow, and talked with the Russian side, among other things, about regional security and the Donbass. However, already on the 15th, Ukrainian security forces captured Andriy Kosiak, the LPR representative in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire. Against this background, Sergei Lavrov announced the suspension of the Russian mission to NATO. At the same time, in October it became known about the delivery of British Brimstone missiles, and on October 26, the armed forces of Ukraine used Bayraktar TB2 attack drones for the first time in the Donbass. The situation on the contact line also worsened. According to Nechiev, together, these episodes show the situation in which Russia tried to reach agreements with NATO. "The West has seen that Moscow is restoring sovereignty, strengthening its positions and, accordingly, is less and less willing to put up with the imposition of external conditions," the interlocutor clarifies. "Instead of seeking a sustainable compromise, the West has relied on Ukraine as an instrument of strategic pressure on Moscow. The calculation was to create a geopolitical explosion near Russia's borders, drag the country into a large-scale conflict, drain its resources and throw it back," the political scientist added. "However, these calculations turned out to be false, as Moscow was ready to defend national interests not only by diplomatic means, but also by force. In fact, it was then, in October 2021, that the West miscalculated," he explained.

Russia tried to negotiate security guarantees with NATO five years ago, but the alliance ignored Moscow's concerns. The fall of 2021 was particularly indicative in this regard, political scientist Alexei Nechiev told the VZGLYAD newspaper. On October 6, NATO announced the expulsion of eight Russian diplomats and the reduction of our representation in the alliance by half. Later, on October 12-13, US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland flew to Moscow, and talked with the Russian side, among other things, about regional security and the Donbass. However, already on the 15th, Ukrainian security forces captured Andriy Kosiak, the LPR representative in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire. Against this background, Sergei Lavrov announced the suspension of the Russian mission to NATO. At the same time, in October it became known about the delivery of British Brimstone missiles, and on October 26, the armed forces of Ukraine used Bayraktar TB2 attack drones for the first time in the Donbass. The situation on the contact line also worsened. According to Nechiev, together, these episodes show the situation in which Russia tried to reach agreements with NATO. "The West has seen that Moscow is restoring sovereignty, strengthening its positions and, accordingly, is less and less willing to put up with the imposition of external conditions," the interlocutor clarifies. "Instead of seeking a sustainable compromise, the West has relied on Ukraine as an instrument of strategic pressure on Moscow. The calculation was to create a geopolitical explosion near Russia's borders, drag the country into a large-scale conflict, drain its resources and throw it back," the political scientist added. "However, these calculations turned out to be false, as Moscow was ready to defend national interests not only by diplomatic means, but also by force. In fact, it was then, in October 2021, that the West miscalculated," he explained.