It matters that Ukraine is an extremely corrupt country which has impoverished itself through corruption & mismanagement, and which has turned to becoming a rentier state as a stunt to get cash.
Russia's not applying to join NATO to get cash to bail themselves out from corruption -- Ukraine is.
On the democracy index Ukraine is a 5.57 and considered a hybrid regime.
They have plenty of oligarchs with ill-gotten wealth, and nobody is sanctioning them for ripping off their own people. Hell, they even have close business ties with Russian oligarchs. I guess when you're a Ukrainian fat-cat, then you get to have the best of all worlds. What a racket.
Russia... is a 3.24 and considered authoritarian.
en.wikipedia.org
Zelensky has arrested opposition leaders and shut down media criticizing him. So he's only non-authoritarian to those who he's politically aligned with - otherwise, if you're a political opponent, then you get arrested.
Russia has bullied and invaded Ukraine. They've had a sour relationship with Russia all the way back when Stalin starved millions of them. Russia is like an abusive husband that demands his wife stay with him. It's no wonder most Ukrainians want to side with the West.
Stalin was a Georgian. His interior minister Beria was also Georgian. They're the ones who starved Ukraine. They were the rulers of the power structure.
Fears of WHAT? Ukraine is not invading Russia. NATO is not invading Russia. These are unfounded fears rooted in paranoia.
Ukraine would become the spearhead for a NATO that invades Russia. Given the fact that NATO has been continually expanding eastwards, this has caused the Russians to become more and more worried.
And NATO poses a threat to more than just Russia's sovereignty -- it poses a threat to American sovereignty. It was when Trump dared to call for NATO countries to pay their fair share, that this infuriated the NATO lobby, and triggered them into perpetrating the Russia Collusion Hoax against Trump. The day Trump dared to call for NATO members to pay more, that NATO shill Madeleine Albright immediately appeared on MSNBC nightly news mere hours later, expressing her alarm at Trump's statements and calling him "crazy". By daring to call out NATO, Trump had just painted a target on his back. Mere days later, Trump's campaign manager Manafort was suddenly fingered allegedly for having worked for Russia (big ****ing deal - plenty of Democrat political consultants had also consulted for Russia. Manafort had also consulted for Ukraine, as had other Democrats). Then soon Trump was targeted more directly, with allegations about his business dealings in Russia (he's got business dealings around the world, not just in Russia.) Then came the Steele Dossier with its crazy 'Pee Tape' bullshit, and the Collusion Hoax spun into high gear. Republicans were totally clueless about what was going, because Republican rank-and-file have never taken a critical eye to NATO, and never imagined the NATO lobby could behave this way. The fact that Trump has taken on so many sacred entrenched special interests is, in my opinion, the real reason behind Trump Derangement Syndrome.
America is touted as NATO's "leader" when, thanks to the crooked & ruthless NATO lobby, it has become NATO's vassal. Americans have at least as much right to self-determination as Ukrainians do, and NATO should not interfere with America's domestic politics just to assert its will over the country.