system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5:Why is Putin so threatened by NATO? Are his concerns justified?
gpt
Well, NATO is the most powerful military alliance in world history, and it is in the process of surrounding Russia. From a military standpoint, Russia is a shell of its Cold War glory days. In a conventional fight, the Russian Federation would be crushed. All it really has going for it is the nuclear stockpile. This means that, in the event of a war, Putin's options are a severe beating (which will almost certainly result in him being ousted), or Armageddon. It's not a great situation to be in. He has to appear strong in order to keep domestic popularity up, but he's running out of places to intimidate.