“Hell, that’s what this fight has been about! Whether Ukraine would remain a Russian client, or become an EU client/member of the ‘western’ conglomerate.”
Russia didn’t want Ukraine as a client state (as it indeed was, just as it was a client state of other countries); it wanted Ukraine as a captive state. Not unlike Germany wanting Austria and Czechoslovakia as captive states in the 1930s before “annexing” them.
The problem for Russia is, that Ukraine does NOT want to be a captive state of Russia; nor does it want to be annexed by Russia.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
“Russia didn’t want Ukraine as a client state (as it indeed was, just as it was a client state of other countries); it wanted Ukraine as a captive state.”
A distinction without a difference.
Just as a bunch of European countries are clients of the US. If one tried to peel off (either as the result of a coup, color revolution or general change in population sentiment) the US would not allow it.
If we shared a border (like Canada) we’d go to war over it.