Nowadays wars are all about deception.
Russia basically hid their war aims with dubious claims to justify their fighting.
Just like how the usa used the wmds as an excuse or the war on terror bs to attack iraq.
Nowadays nobody will make their aims of what they are fighting clear as they will...
The thing is Russia has made it so clear that they want to take Ukraine because its in their interests to take their old lands back while getting as much warm water ports.
Russia also has plans to dominate the black sea.
Russians came into this war thinking it will be like 2014 and 2015...
Its not really farfetched ever since Poland was partitioned many Poles actually became mercernaries and served many nations especially the ones against Russia.
Ottoman empire even had its own Polish legions who served in the Ottoman army while Polish refugees settled in Istanbul and founded...
This is not a attack on slavic peoples but people to realise how Slavic peoples dont have it easy how hard and harsh their society.
Same with a lot of African and Middle eastern societies. If you are weak you will be eaten there is no mercy at all.