An article in today's BBC, quotes Putin's plans to reconstitute the Soviet empire since his installation as Yeltsin's successor. At that time Putin said, "Russia has been a great power for centuries, and remains so. It has always had and still has legitimate zones of interest abroad in both the former Soviet lands and elsewhere. We should not drop our guard in this respect, neither should we allow our opinion to be ignored."
He has been consistent in his intention to conquer the states freed when the USSR fell. First he brought Chechnya to heel and then he took a measure of the West in Georgia and found us wanting. Now he is moving to his west, just like he said he would. Our destruction as the power that brought the USSR down is all part of his grand plan. Thus the Caribbean basing agreements with those countries who also long for our downfall.