The people of Ukraine got tired of being a Russian puppet state

the pre-maidan government was not a puppet. europe and russia were both courting ukraine for her resources and president what's his ass took the better deal that putin offered. if that makes it a puppet government, what does that make the coup government where the US picked high ranking officials?

You're weird little narrative only works if you believe that Ukrainians don't have a right to self determination and believe they shouldn't have sovereignty over their land.

Your weird little narrative only works if you believe the denizens of Crimea and Donbas don't have a right to self determination and sovereignty over their own land.

This is simply Russian neocolonialism,

Neocolonialism isn't just "colonialism happening today". Neocolonialism is what the west is doing having Ukraine sell off its land and industries in bulk to foreign capitalists via privatization.