I remember them being seen as an economically inferior, but developing
In the 70s, they were comparable with the US. It cannot be overstated how disastrous the 90s were; imagine if overnight the entire population of the US was reduced to the economic conditions of India.
A warm relationship with the US was premised on the immiseration of the Russian people for the benefit of international capital, with the Russian national bourgeoisie eventually joining them, but the specifics are a bit more complicated.
I can’t remember any specific incidents pior to the Crimea invasion
The coup in Ukraine, where the US supported right-wing factions hostile to Russia in the newly formed government was the immediate incident prior to that.
This chapter of The Shock Doctrine does a great job of covering the US policy maker’s actions and their perspectives during the 90s and 2010s:
In the 70s, they were comparable with the US. It cannot be overstated how disastrous the 90s were; imagine if overnight the entire population of the US was reduced to the economic conditions of India.
A warm relationship with the US was premised on the immiseration of the Russian people for the benefit of international capital, with the Russian national bourgeoisie eventually joining them, but the specifics are a bit more complicated.
The coup in Ukraine, where the US supported right-wing factions hostile to Russia in the newly formed government was the immediate incident prior to that.
This chapter of The Shock Doctrine does a great job of covering the US policy maker’s actions and their perspectives during the 90s and 2010s:
https://archive.org/details/fp_Naomi_Klein-The_Shock_Doctrine/page/n251/mode/2up