I don't know if most here are old enough to have seen it, but during and after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990-1991, and for 10 years after, virtually all the major U.S. news networks would nightly report the news in their normal fashion, but would also right after show and translate how the same events were simultaneously being reported in Russia. It was enlightening, to see both perspectives, and to better understand the Russian point of view.
That view of both sides is completely missing now, it's just portrayed as "Russian aggression" and "Putin is evil !" Even RT has been taken off the air, there is virtually no attempt to explain Russia's motivation, or to explain any logic to Russia's actions.
From outside the U.S. here are two reports that try to explain the history and geographic perspective for Russia to seek defensive borders, and in particular the treat of NATO expansion into former Soviet territories. Over centuries, the Mongols, the Turks (also called Tartars), the Ottomans, Napoleonic France, and the Germans, have all invaded Russia, whose vast open fields , with few mountains or sea borders, are very difficult to defend from invasion.
These two videos do a good job of explaining those considerations:
