The tyrant in RUSSIA claims the "eastern provinces" of Ukraine are pro Russian anyway. The rest of the country has been engaged is a civil war with them for YEARS. Putin is doing just what Stalin did...and he got away with it, because no country in the west wanted to take him on. Putin wanted a guarantee that Ukraine would never become a NATO member, sitting on his border...KNOWING FULL WELL the USA (and therefore NATO) would NEVER agree to that. So he's got all the excuses he needs to do exactly what he's doing. I don't need or trust politicians to explain ANYTHING to me. They all have their agendas. Hitler wanted Ukraine at all costs, Stalin wanted to defend it the same way...you think it might be spelled O-I-L????
Ukraine not being a member of NATO means that NATO has absolutely no business "stepping in"..with boots on the ground and everything that goes with it, including a full scale air and naval war. .For all their high sounding speeches, it would take a flat out attack on a NATO member to get them to respond, and Putin knows it. "Stepping in" doesn't mean shipping arms and munitions to a tiny (by comparison) country with a tiny military that absolutely cannot survive with the bear doing what its doing either. Their heroics will be short-lived.. "Stepping in" in the manner I think you mean also means a full scale war, with Eastern Europe/Ukraine being the flash point, like the old Generals and pundits predicted...Thats why a tour in Germany for anyone who was a tanker in the ARMY was almost a given..Another couple of days at this rate will end it.
I can't begin to imagine the emotional involvement you have. Best wishes......