There are left apologists for Russia too. Jeffrey Sachs, Chomsky (he is doing it again, defending tyrants).
Russian government did not give a damn about NATO expansion, it is a mafia with no ideology. They would have invaded anyway, under some other false pretense.
Keep in mind that Chomsky denied genocide made Khmer Rouge in 1970 and genocide in Srebrenica, _just_ _because_ _perpetrators_ _seemed _to_be_ against US imperialism.