To understand the belligerence of today's Russia, it is critical to understand the Crimean War (1853-1856), the event which truly turned the tables for the nation. Up until that time, the tsars had basically continued the imperialist expansion of the Greats (Peter and Catherine), especially at the expense of the Ottoman Empire. But then, right around the 400-year anniversary of the loss of Constantinople (Istanbul) to the Ottomans in 1453, the Russians suffered a humiliating loss when the Ottomans teamed up with practically every Western European power from Great Britain to frickin' Sardinia to kick their butts. The aggression of the Western powers against Russia was always a little (and sometimes more than a little) morally dubious, and the war spurred anti-Western resentment in Russia which endures to this day. Taking the Crimea back is a symbolic point of national pride, in addition to a strategic win.