is Ukraine a warning to every other country that borders Russia that wants to become pro-western?

[Mujer Alta]

Nope. The current situation is all about Russia taking back a part of itself that was given to the Ukraine 61 years ago. Russia also doesn't want to be bordered by an inherently unstable country. Imagine Mexico or Canada always in some kind of turmoil and on the verge of civil war. There's no way a neighboring country won't become involved. If nothing else, refugees are going to be a problem.

The Crimea and Ukraine each has a long history with Russia. The Crimea is Russia's Florida. Russians spend their summer vacations there on the beaches. They have summer homes there. It was part of Russia until Nikita Khrushchev "gifted" Ukraine with it in 1954. Khrushchev was a Russian but worked his way up in the Ukrainian Communist Party and felt a special connection to Ukraine. Back in 1954 the Ukraine, which also has a long history as a Russian dependent, was part of the Soviet Union and everyone expected that situation to last forever. With dissolution of the USSR and Ukraine's independence - and Khrushchev and his close ties to Ukraine long dead, it's really not surprising that Russia might want the Crimean peninsula back.