CNN, Fox News, Biden, Sean Hannity, et al are basically telling us that:
Ukraine is a formerly Soviet free, democratic nation ruled by the People --> who ask for NATO/EU/USA to protect them from formerly Soviet Russia --> So that they can have their own "Western rights" of abortion, LGBT, consumerism, individualism --> To that end the West and its influence moves closer and closer to the borders of Russia --> you know, to protect people's rights to MTV and Taco Bell --> So evil Putin being they say a crypto-communist dictator wanting to restore the Soviet Union invaded Ukraine to usurp its sovereignty, and then likely the sovereignty of other eastern European countries --> killing innocent women and children, and other crimes against humanity --> followed by an unprovoked (so they say) threat of nuclear war. All caused by evil Putin, the ultimate scapegoat.
Well folks, that narrative is a load of B.S.
Here is the real cause-effect timeline:
The rise of western absolute monarchies + the rise of materialistic industrialism that threatened worker rights (see Leo XIII's Rerum Navarum) --> Marxism --> the Bolshevik revolution --> Soviet Union --> World War I --> later the Cold War --> rise of Western Military Industrial Complex/NATO for the purpose of dominating Europe (including Russia) --> to have as much oil (and $$$) to meet the hedonistic demands of the West --> and therefore the rise of liberal culture consuming society --> except to a large degree by comparison in Russia --> Fall of Russian Communism --> Rise of Russian Nationalism (a good thing) --> NATO/EU keeps inching closer and closer to Russia for decades --> to ultimately control Russia (i.e. OIL) --> threatening their own national sovereignty and relatively traditional, conservative culture --> despite years and decades of confrontation with the West/NATO essentially out of self-defense (of borders, sovereignty, culture) --> and despite thousands of dead pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine --> despite obvious warnings for the last several months --> and Ukraine not backing down at all --> Russia invades --> with the sole purpose of neutralizing Ukraine from NATO/US control (i.e. threat to Russia) while respecting its autonomy --> killing very few Ukrainian citizens vs loss of thousands of Russian soldiers --> threat by severe sanctions, etc --> Russian threatens nuclear strikes (likely at first taking out Western nuclear silos and military facilities).
So the fact we are now on the verge of World War III comes down to a 150+ year old spiritual, cultural, moral battle between Western liberalism, materialism, secularism vs. Russia being to some extent the remnant of the "Old World Order" of pre-industrial, tradition-oriented, Christian culture, and integral cooperation between Church and State.
For the record, this post is not advocating for Russia's war, but rather putting down in words what has become gradually very clear, when you take a step back from all the fake news and propaganda, and actually read your history and look at a map of the world.
God help us.