The question as to Ukraine goes back to WW2 when Ukrainians joined the invading German armies and fought the Russians. Russia at the time was a federation of communist controlled republics and they were particularly distrusted by the Communist higher leadership as traitors to Russia.
The Communist Party solution was to extend the Ukraine to allow for the new "Republic" to have a majority ethnic Russian population. The revised borders determined in 1953 allowed for what is today Eastern Ukraine inclusive of the Donetz area and the Crimea to be part of the Russian Federation. That situation actually worked for the Communists and he majority Russian population of Ukraine remained in Ukraine even at he time in 1991 when Ukraine ebcame an Independent country.
The situation became untenable - the Ukraine Government were taken over in 2014 by the anti-Russian Ukrainians and civil war broke out between the ethnic Russian area and the new Kiev Government. That lasted for about a year and the Russian Government no doubt provided armaments to the ethnic Russians fighting to remain part of Russia and not an independent Ukrainian controlled state. Russia's only real contribution was to take over the strategic Crimea area with its 85% ethnic Russian population - the Crimea was since the 1700's regarded of a strategic part of the Russian fleet and with ports on the northern and western coast being inhibited by colder weather the Crimea was regarded as extremely important by the Russians.
When the civil war broke out in 2014 the USA under Obama refused to provide arms and ammunition to the new Ukraine Government and send them beds, blankets and medical supplies despite a vote by Congress to provide armaments to Ukraine. When Trump took over the civil war has reached a stalemate - but Trump decided to provide the Ukraine Government to ensure they retain an independent Ukraine.
If Putin had any designs other than to incorporate Crimea into Russia - which happened without any bloodshed and has had no civil war involvement anyway - the situation remained somewhat stable until Biden took over. The chaotic Biden leadership resulted in the revival of the civil war and at present the Donetz area is under attack by the Ukrainians. Russia's only direct involvement is to move about 53 000 women and children from the area under attack by the Ukrainians. Why are so many people evacuated from the Donetz area if everything was calm and peaceful?
In 2017 the Russian army had training maneuvers inside the western borders of Russia and the refrain in the media was that Russia as about to attack Ukraine - nothing happened.
So lets get back to the present scenario. The chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan emboldened all kinds of reactionary Governments to take action against their enemies. As it happened the Russian Army had training maneuvers again this year and he same story of 2017 was added to by a chaotic and panicky Government in Washington. There is in fact reason to believe that part of the panic is an reaction to try and get support for a failing presidency in Washington.
If the Russiand had any idea about attacking the Ukraine they would have done it already - but they have no real interest in the Ukraine Kiev-controlled area - but the question remains why are 53 000 people evacuated from the Donetz area? One would reasonably want to know why and by whom the area is under attack - making it too dangerous for women and children to remain in the area.
Ukraine is an area that would never be settled until the border provided by the Communist regime in 1953 is redrawn to ensure that ethnic Russians are not placed under an anti-Russian Government in Ukraine. The present Biden disaster administration is trying to draw attention away from its failures and the Ukraine situation has been turned into another civil war.
There is a very practical solution to the problem that would not go away. Let an international controlled election be held in Eastern Ukraine to determine whether the people want to remain part of Ukraine or be included in Russia. D epending on the outcomes then determine the borders of Ukraine and force the Ukraine government to accept the situation and stop any attacks on ethnic Russians in the area.