To ensure a ring of bases around Russia (like a potential base in Crimea before the war in Ukraine) so that any military activity of the latter can be interpret

To ensure a ring of bases around Russia (like a potential base in Crimea before the war in Ukraine) so that any military activity of the latter can be interpreted as aggression (e.g., "Russia tries to re-establish its evil Empire"). [Here we skip intermediate steps]. To make sure people fight "left vs right", "West vs East" instead of the only really important battle of "poor vs rich". p.s. this particular base is of importance because it is relatively close to future super-powers like China and India.