Not far? It's about as far as it gets, really. Wouldn't you fully expect ANY nation to defend itself in this way?

Of course not, I'm not some authoritarian totalist. It was a small piece of land not critical to Ukraine as a whole. I don't think it was the right move for Ukraine to make.

Hawaii is small so it's fine to giveaway, isn't it?

Was it right for Putin to flood the disputed territories with Russian nationals then lay claim to said areas to "protect Russians"?

That would be weird if it happened but from what I understand what you're saying isn't accurate. A lot of people were leaving the area rather than entering.

I absolutely would! But hen I'm one of the few people that never really considered Afghan or Iraqi resistance against US and / or NATO forces to be "evil".

Understanding, e.g., Putin's motivation doesn't mean defending him.