I think people in the Russosphere (or indeed generally) tend to overstate the 'role' of the West. The West tends to be very muddled, and at no point has it been

I think people in the Russosphere (or indeed generally) tend to overstate the 'role' of the West. The West tends to be very muddled, and at no point has it been more muddled than in the Trump era, and Russia began their invasion at a nadir of NATO coherency and vitality. My impression is that the role of the west was basically one of blithe ignorance, and mild disinterest, until the tanks started rolling over the border. If you look at a chart of Russia's GDP since 2014, you can see what these adventures have already done to the Russian people. There's a lot of talk about pivoting to the east, but I'll believe it when I see it. Chinese businesses don't like operating in Russia for the same reason Russians don't like operating in Russia: you get ripped off all the time. Moreover, you can't just redirect gas wherever you like: you have to build giant pipelines. That typically takes about a decade.