Having had to do some 'work' in Ukraine early this year.
I can assure you that the Ukrainians are very much the same ex-Soviet savages as the Russians are. It's very much two ex-Soviet peoples (because they really haven't had a few generations to cleanse themselves of that past) - culling their own populations in the usual Soviet 'mass-fodder' style of warfare. Ukraine, the slightly less so - due to having to follow a more NATO-USA style if they want to keep getting more Ammunition/Weapons/War Machines, etc... at a less than reasonable 'interest' on it all.
Two birds, one stone: Russia suffering more losses per ratio, but Ukraine will come out economically far worse from all their 'borrowing' and 'contracts' to NATO/USA.
In a way, Ukraine would have faired better if Russia did annex it. Because Russia would have been forced to pay for the massive 'rebuild' of Ukraine.
Do you think NATO/USA are going to rebuild Ukraine?
Especially when Ukraine's future will be heavily weighed down by the massive debts for all this 'help' they've been getting.
I can tell you - just for Media/Propaganda reasons, only 25% of everything given to them from other nations has in fact been honestly 'For Free' (Donation). Under the table though, its costing Ukraine a fortune in future paybacks.
Ukraine's only hope is that China invades Russia (for resource rich Siberia and a return to the far north of the Yellow Man). Forcing Russia to capitulate for peace while having to suddenly send ALL OF ITS FORCES east against China... who has already 'taken' land from Russia this year and over 600,000 Chinese (uniformed too) now occupy Russian lands. Lands where Putin can't even offer his 'whitey' Russians 'free land', buildings, houses in those Chinese inhabited 'Russian' lands because they refuse to live there, many having been 'forced out' already by the influx of Chinese.
Russia is between a rock (Ukraine/NATO) and a hard place (China/Mongolia).
Russia's only ally in this situation is India, who is also having to deal with influxes of 'Chinese civilians' into disputed territories. Of course, these civilians are not really civilians.