Of course, Ukraine really wanted to be in NATO, for obvious reasons...

Here's the deal, from my standpoint. Russia is declining in relevance.

* Demographically, they're shrinking and aging.

* Economically, post-Crimea sanctions have blunted any growth.

* Trade / exchange--- petroleum becomes less relevant with time.

* Diplomatically, they're already pariahs from many past misdeeds.

* Culturally/socially, they've stagnated as well.

Clawing for land around them-- through proxy conflicts in Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, etc-- offers them a small chance of continued relevance. It's probably not a winning strategy, but it's at least one which could be winning. When you're in a bad situation, if you want to keep playing the game, you need to make the moves that at least could lead to a win.