As many are saying here, we knew this almost from the beginning.
Knew what? Not clear to me what you are saying. That the war started in 2014.
That was common knowledge. Putin got greedy and took a second bite at the apple.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/30/russia-ukraine-war-kiev-conflict
https://www.vox.com/2014/9/3/18088560/ukraine-everything-you-need-to-know