Let's be clear here, EVERYONE, with the possible (but not certain) exception of Ukraine thought Russia would make them their bitca within a matter of days. We're at almost 2 months, and it's becoming increasingly likely that Ukraine will out-and-out win. Not just hold out, but actually send the Russians crying home to their babushka. They're doing this with a lot of (financial and arms) help from pretty much every other country that isn't China, but, still, Ukrainians are the only ones who have been actually pulling the triggers.
At present there are about 30,000 non-Ukreainian (Western) "volunteers" pulling triggers. Many have been there for years. On the other side, the separatists had many as well. Many Russians, including most likely "re-identified Russian personnel claiming to be "separatists, and thousands who relocated from western Ukraine to eastern Ukraine. Our CIA has been supplying and training units just like we did in "Charlie Wilson's War" for a decade already.
It's clear that Putin faces internal opposition in Russia. Despite his policies that have tried to keep out "Western" influencers and limit that influence, many Russians are pretty "modern", rejecting Russian nationalism and communist ideology as well. Looking at Putin's foreign allies like Hezbollah, Iran, Venezuela you'd have to wonder who he is. Outright marxist ideologues in Venequela, and Nazi remnants sruling in Iran. And terrorists. But he complained about Obama funding ISIS with permitting oil sales controlled and bennefiting ISIS. And then there is John Brennan, literally a Putin "buddy" while he was in R;ussia, who went straight to Putin with "news". If we were going to "prove" Russian meddling in US Elections, you have to go to Hillary Clinton as the main beneficiary, and funder, of the effort.
Putin has rightly seen the intent from the West to remove him and replace him with a Western-compliant actor.
The Ukraine War didn't happen for four years because Trump was elected. This would all have happened just the same if Hillary had won, in 2016.
This war is about money, sure, but about oil and the green revolution and who will run the coming Fascist world order.
When you see reports of Kissinger and Brezinski trying to help politicians in Ukraine in 2004, you are seeing modern Fascism in action.