Because the baseline view of the Russian government is that Ukraine achieving independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union was a mistake. Vladimir Putin

Because the baseline view of the Russian government is that Ukraine achieving independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union was a mistake. Vladimir Putin is a Russian irredentists who does not believe Ukraine has a right to exist as a state unless under the Russian thumb. This is not in dispute. This has been pretty much outlined explicitly by Vladimir Putin in several writings and speeches. > I will start with the fact that modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia or, to be more precise, by Bolshevik, Communist Russia. Continuing in reference to the creation of the Ukrainian SSR: > This immediately raises many questions. The first is really the main one: why was it necessary to appease the nationalists, to satisfy the ceaselessly growing nationalist ambitions on the outskirts of the former empire? What was the point of transferring to the newly, often arbitrarily formed administrative units – the union republics – vast territories that had nothing to do with them? Let me repeat that these territories were transferred along with the population of what was historically Russia. ... > Why was it necessary to make such generous gifts, beyond the wildest dreams of the most zealous nationalists and, on top of all that, give the republics the right to secede from the unified state without any conditions? > I would like to emphasize again that Ukraine is not just a neighboring country for us. It is an inalienable part of our own history, culture and spiritual space - Putin, 21 February 2022 [http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/67828 http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/67828] > I am certain that the true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible precisely in partnership with Russia - Putin, 12 JUL 2021 [https://tass.com/world/1313223?utm_source=google.com&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=google.com&utm_referrer=google.com https://tass.com/world/1313223?utm_source=google.com&utm_med...] The Russian head of state does not deny that this war is intended to dominate Ukraine and bring it effectively under Russian control and end its independence and its drift away from the Russian sphere of influence. You don't have to act like it's a complicated situation - not even Russia is pretending that it is.