I take a similar view, but with a different slant. I agree that this is as much about European security and the place of the Russian Federation in the world as it is anything. Of course, Ukraine is a passionate issue for the Russian Federation, as Maria has mentioned.
I don't see it as likely that the Russian Federation would take offensive action against any NATO country, because the moment blood is spilled, it changes the level of issue dramatically.
The issue of nuclear weapons and raising alert states is not atypical when you see the establishment and movement of NATO troops toward Russia. It wasn't dissimilar in 2014 or in response to the establishment of forces in the Baltic countries. It's kind of a relatively normal calculus that says, “Hey, let's just be calm here”, from the Russian Federation point of view.