We had a better relationship with Russia, it is not the West's doing that the ex-Warsaw Pact countries decided that they were better off casting in their lot with democracy and capitalism rather than the Russian version of Utopia. Now the problem is amplified because politicians and the media are single tracked on events in Crimea and Ukraine for good reason.
Think which other countries in Europe have local regions of predominantly Russian residents. So where will the next masked, armed and unidentified "advisors" appear to "help" the poor, downtrodden, Russian residents reacquire their "right to independence". It's not rocket science is it? Political posturing is one thing, invading the territory of an independent country is a whole new "mess o' beans". Trust needs to work both ways.
IG