Thank you Mitchell, this is useful and yes, any attempt to understand the Russian point of view will get you labeled a "Putin apologist". There are also multiple BBC reports that corroborate this, for example

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SBo0akeDMY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEKQsnRGv7s&t=106s

The BBC today has totally forgotten this, they practice adjective journalism - "unprovoked invasion", "sham election", "illegal occupation", etc.