Russia's current activities are a continuation of the buildup it conducted in the spring. Units from Siberia were deployed then and never left. Not only was that before the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, it occurred before Biden announced the withdrawal.
wsj.com/articles/how-t…
wsj.com/articles/how-t…
If you're going to try to explain why Russia is escalating, you need to address why they decided to conduct a buildup in March and what has happened since. This editorial seems to argue it is all about weakness from Washington, a common and poor foreign policy analysis cliché. 2/
Russian interventions in Ukraine and Syria were primarily driven by events in both countries. Russia was reactive. The POTUS wasn't that relevant, though they did learn from the Bush admin in 2008 that the US wouldn't stop them with force (strange WSJ didn't see that as weakness)
It is easy to argue other countries' foreign policy decisions are mostly shaped by US strength or weakness but it is almost always wrong. Russia is responding to recent events in Ukraine, but their perception of security issues is shaped by decisions made by the previous 4 POTUS.
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