When did Russia (not the USSR) invade and occupy another sovereign nation?
Actually, it could be argued that at least Moldova (Transdniestria) and Georgia (Abkhazia, Northern Ossetia, and Adjuria) were invaded and occupied in the past 15 years... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Defending your citizens' interests cannot be compared to, say, France's imperialist escapade into Algeria.
Where did I say that Russia invaded sovereign countries? Russia has spent most of its time defending itself from European invading powers. That's one of the reasons for its mistrust of huge European alliances like the EU.
I am the biggest pacificist you are likely to meet, which, by the way, got me into big trouble in the US military. But, hey, it was they who turned me into the pacifist.
Double wow.
So if my interpretation was wrong, how would you describe Russian "interventions" in the territories I mentioned? Was Russia invaded or attacked by Moldova or Georgia? In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Techically every peacekeeping mission can be considered an occupation, however, in those cases territory of republics of Transdniestria, Abkhazia, Northern Ossetia is being controlled by local police and Russian peacekeepers only involved in points of contact between those republics and Georgia/Moldova.
Unfortunately, both Georgia and Moldova have little to offer to those republics at this point. Neither economically, with Moldova being the poorest country in Europe and Georgia being a failed state, nor politically - they just not prepared to give any meaningful state of autonomy.
