However bad the corruption in Ukraine is (or in DC) it pales in comparison to the corruption and brutality of the phony “republics” in the Donbas, or even Russia itself.
Ukraine is a fascist government. There is no freedom. You do what the government says.
But what is apparent is that their military really bought into the remaking of their forces post-2014. Mark Hertling has written a lot about that, but they clearly are fighting much more in accordance with Western/U.S. doctrine rather than Soviet/Russian doctrine.
It's not a coincidence that so many guys with military experience in the modern U.S. military have such a similar understanding of what is happening over there.