> Ukrainization was often imposed on those who did not see themselves as Ukrainians
That's a myth, a talking point in the Russian propaganda.
Of course! But my point is that Putin seems to truly believe in that portrayal. If you take what he writes in those essays and says in his speeches at face value, then you can see why he takes the actions he does.
Everyone’s actions can be understood by realizing what they feel and believe. That doesn’t justify the actions, but it explains them. Trying to understand what Putin is about is important to making predictions about how he will react to possible courses of action from the rest of the world.
So he doesn’t like the alleged “Ukrainization”, and certainly not an additional westernization (you know, with gay people and such).