Europe was so heavily damaged by WW2 that the whole continent is still traumatized and does not condone any border change by war. That is also why Europe still got taken by surprise when Russia invaded Ukraine - they just couldn't believe that Russia didn't have a similar aversion.
I think Russia's unique role in WW2 explains a lot about them not having such aversions. Most (non axis) European countries were victims that had their lands invaded and their populations oppressed and even slaughtered. Russia also experienced those things yet it was also, if not primarily an aggressor. They were the ones doing the invading, the oppressing and the slaughtering. This to the extend they even directly schemed with the Nazi's to start WW2 in order for them to invade Poland so they could oppress and even slaughter the Polish. Russia's trauma isn't about the war happening, its about the war they helped start horrifically backfiring on them.
And sure millions of Russians died but why would the Kremlin itself develop war aversion from that? The Kremlin whatever its form has never cared about the Russian population. By all accounts the Kremlin likely considers the mass casualties to be resources well spend in getting Poland, and then half of Europe along with it. The Russian people suffered from the war but through the war the Russian state got all the Tsars past victims as well as whole new territories like Hungary and parts of Germany to oppress.
Fellow aggressor Germany is traumatized by how far it descended into barbarism during the war, but the Kremlin always glorified its misdeeds and still does it to this day. Russia isn't like Europe's other nations in the war. Its not like its fellow victims of the war, nor like its fellow aggressors.
www.mprnews.org
