Why the Western people (and governments) fail to understand Russia? What are we getting wrong?

Most Westerners seem to fail when it comes to understanding Russia. Over and over again the Russians "surprise" us or it turns out that Western calculations fail miserably.
In this presentation I go through two main aspects: why the Westerners including their governments seem to fail at understanding Russia and why the Russians themselves tend to perceive things differently and what from our point of view may seem to be "crazy", "irrational, or "weird" makes perfectly sense if you just walk a few steps in their boots.
Understanding does not equal to endorsing and understanding their motives does not mean supporting.

[@solomonblack6344]

You lost me honestly. I expected fact backed data. First, Colonialism in Europe or America never ended. Claiming it did means you haven’t studied vastly. In Africa France still maintains its colony. Democracy, UN, World Bank, ICJ and Sanctions are tools for hegemony. Hegemony is Authoritarian.

[@v-p6469]

Lol.

[@v-p6469]

apples and oranges in this context.