Why the fuck was the West poking it's nose into Ukraine in 2014?

The Maidan coup ring a bell?

Ethnically Russian areas of Eastern Ukraine have been the subject of terrorist attacks since the coup.

What do you expect the Russians to do when provoked in such a way?

Russia was lulled into a false sense of security by Merkel et al visa vi the Minsk accords.

Merkel herself is on record admitting that the Minsk accords were only ever intended to buy time so that the West/Nato could destabalise Ukraine and launch an attack.