Its very very difficult for folks, particularly young people, to pierce through the penumbra of near endless war propaganda, very difficult. Human nature is a certain way, and a lying narrative, fitted to an ugly nearly endless high definition stream of war video, is such that after approximately 10-20 days, the majority are lost to it! Worse even than that, is the political class, who makes no pretense of even desiring peaceful end to conflict they for all intents and purposes, started.
I don't believe Putin believes he even started this war, and in point of demonstrable fact, he really didn't, he escalated it to be sure, but I am certain he and his government were responding to the ascension of Biden to the oval office, as it was Biden and Obama who sparked the coup back in 2013/14 that tossed out a Ukrainian president who was favorably disposed toward Russia and Putin, and resulted in Porshenko, who was and is a naked tool of the US and the west, and then in Velensky in 2019 who was just more of same.
I doubt 5 out of every 100 Americans even knows what Obama/Biden did in Ukraine, let alone could relate to the Russian perspective regarding the very thought of Ukraine in Nato, which is analogous to Canada joining Warsaw Pact alliance during cold war.....