Russia wants to dismantle the possibility of any pro-western military apparatus in Ukraine, and take control of the massive gas reserves off Ukraine's southern coast.
I've seen this guy on TikTok, he's supposedly an American that lives in Ukraine. He's come to the conclusion that Zelinsky is evil bc he won't surrender and is inspiring his nation to resist...
What he doesn't seem to understand is that the Ukrainians have lived under the Soviet Union, and they would rather die than be ruled by Putin or a Putin puppet.