Not really, when you understand NATO as the threat it actually is to Russia. This is, from a Russian perspective, like how the US almost invaded Cuba to get rid of the nukes they stationed there (in response to the US putting them in Turkey).
Here is a popular anecdote about how Americans and Russians view war differently, that I hope my memory won't butcher too badly. A Russian proposes to an American which three groups would receive reinforcements during a war - the one taking the most casualties but making slow progress, the one in a defensive position, or the one making steady progress pushing the front lines forward. The American naturally responds that the one taking the most casualties would. The Russian perspective, though, would be to give the reinforcements to the group making the most progress pushing the front lines because they are the ones that deserve it.
"It's a pretty bizarre move."
Not really, when you understand NATO as the threat it actually is to Russia. This is, from a Russian perspective, like how the US almost invaded Cuba to get rid of the nukes they stationed there (in response to the US putting them in Turkey).
Here is a popular anecdote about how Americans and Russians view war differently, that I hope my memory won't butcher too badly. A Russian proposes to an American which three groups would receive reinforcements during a war - the one taking the most casualties but making slow progress, the one in a defensive position, or the one making steady progress pushing the front lines forward. The American naturally responds that the one taking the most casualties would. The Russian perspective, though, would be to give the reinforcements to the group making the most progress pushing the front lines because they are the ones that deserve it.