Ukraine has been planning a massive backstab and stealth attack to Russia using NATO and the EU while siphoning their oil and gas. Russia has known about this and warned them many times there would be consequences if they try something. Zelensky is throwing the kitchen sink and trying to start a forced civlian war against Russia when an overwhelming majority don't want war. Russia isn't so concerned about capturing the country as it is capturing the Zelensky regime and putting them on notice. Land gains by Russia such as Crimea, Georgia, etc are all about getting more access to the Black Sea, Middle East and Africa for various strategic reasons. NATO doesn't want this because they don't want Russia or China to benefit from the economic benefits of establishing trade routes and military intervention in areas where we already interfered. East Ukraine wants nothing to do this shit and doesn't really care about being absorbed into Russia, Putin has interest in capturing those regions as they are the underbelly of Moscow and other important Russian cities.