I’ve heard the excuses, but I’m unconvinced that there exist any justifications for the Russian invasion that hold water outside a Russian lens. Moreover, most of the justifications I see Americans pitching require discarding what Putin himself claims and saying “… but his real reason is __X__.”
I am pretty close to some Ukrainians so I’m sure that impacts my perspective too, but in general I’m more likely to empathize with the invaded country, especially given the treatment of civilians and civilian infrastructure by the Russians.
I’m not under any illusions about the Ukrainian government being particularly freedom oriented, honest, or free of corruption, but I also don’t think that any of those things are likely to be improved in any respect by a Russian invasion. The Russians aren’t looking to improve freedom of religion, reduce corruption, expand transparency, etc.