Indeed, Putin’s rationale for annexing Crimea closely resembles Brezhnev’s reasoning for invading Afghanistan: to confound enemies seeking to surround the country. In 2004, speaking to Russian veterans about the Afghan invasion, Putin explained that there were legitimate geopolitical reasons to protect the Soviet Central Asian border, just as in March he cited security concerns to justify his Ukrainian land grab.
事实上，普京吞并克里米亚的算盘很像勃列日涅夫入侵阿富汗的理由：挫败试图包围国家的敌人。2004年，在向俄罗斯老兵发表关于入侵阿富汗的演讲时，普京解释道，捍卫苏联中亚边境有合理的地缘政治理由，一如今年3月他以安全担忧为由开脱对乌克兰领土的侵占。