I remember the Cold War. The USSR was bad because they were communists.
Then, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Western governments and corporations paid the corrupt, now former communists, who were in charge of industries, to hand over resources in ways that would not help Russia and turned Russia into an Oligarchy right away. At the same time, agreements were made about NATO (which should have been defunct the moment the USSR fell, given its mission) and about how close a NATO country would be to Russian borders.
Then, when Russian people were upset about the way the West was exploiting their resources and violating agreements, a strongman gained power by “standing up to the West,” and suddenly, Russia was bad again. Putin would not be in power if he did not have the West as a foil.
The West has certainly been Russophobic my entire life, and it’s crazy to see my fellow citizens in the US continue to fall for the same old tricks.
You are right that Ukraine is a puppet and its men are sacraficial lambs used to try and weaken Russa.
Russia is defending itself against NATO encroachment.
The idea that Russia is trying to liberate anyone is absurd and laughable.