I have to admit, I do see the Russian army as the aggressor here. The Ukranian people rose up against their Russian-client government, made it clear how they felt about being part of Russia.

Agreed that the WWII history taught in the US is very one-sided. That's not to say that it's perfectly balanced anywhere.

As far as Ukraine being a 'corrupted country', it's clear that it was while a Russian client - but post Revolution of Dignity they appear to be (or at least appeared to be) working on that.