A branch of my family fled Soviet subjugation. Eighty years later and the Russians are still doing the same shit.
The US has its problems and I've certainly called it a type of empire, but only a fool equates the two.
Let's say you are much smarter than me. If you managed my finances you'd probably get much better ROI. Should I voluntarily hand everything over? Notice that I am not equating you with me: I acknowledge that you are smarter. Still, my survival requires that I fight you with all I've got if you decide to take my stuff away from me.
That's what this "subjugation" business is at the end of the day: a satellite country trading one master for another. And before you start with national pride: superpowers absolutely see their satellites as currency.
And it sucks that your family had to flee adversity. At the same time, my grandfathers entire family was killed by soldiers from a country we now consider a paragon of democracy. So spare me.
As far as the truth, the problem is the lack of two functioning political parties. Two parties representing different approaches to the US's interests would have meant that the opposition poking holes in the official narratives would point to a competing US-benefiting alternative. Imagine instead of this feckless trickle of weapons effectively keeping the Ukrainians on a leash, the US could have taken the lesson from the Moskva and let Ukraine run with it. That is the debate we should have had.