> Ukraine was among the most corrupt countries in Europe since 1991
Among who, the USSR? It makes perfect sense that a nation seeking independence from the most corrupt European country would retain oligarchs that abuse their power. Plus, compared to other socialist republics like Hoxha's Albania, Ukraine had economic and political stability in spades.
To assert that Moscow wanted Ukraine as a "client state" but imply by omission that Brussels/Washington did not want Ukraine as a "client state" is simply disingenuous and disregards the entire political history of Ukraine since 1991.