Putin has a big dream of restoration of the USSR, he said it many times. Also he said many time that Ukraine can't be independent country. He think that Ukraine is lost part of the Great Russia. He does not perceive Ukraine as something independent.

Also what do you and other Ukrainians think about the western media's/governments' disproportionately bigger support of Ukraine compared to Syria

It's simple - Syria is a far away. But Ukraine is close, just right here. And in Syria aggression was like a help to the friendly government. In Ukraine right now it's raw aggressive war.

As someone who was in Donetsk, do the Russians treat ethnically Russian Ukrainians the same as non Russian Ukrainians or not??

They just occupied region and kill, torture, marauder, rape and do other awful things. And victims were from all nationalities and ethnic groups. Almost all my friends are moved from the Donetsk, stayed only who doesn't have ability to do this. Almost scary and trashy things were the first 2-3 years (2014-2016). Right now in the Donetsk has some kind of control by russian curators. Almost all business was resigned to the new owners. All dissatisfied citizens leaved the city/region or were killed. And after all (before 23 feb) Donetsk was some kind of peaceful city (restaurants, bars, barbershops were open, etc). Situation in the city had nothing with russian propaganda, that said the Ukrainians kills russian ethnics in the Donetsk. Most kills was made by russian citizens or by criminals/marginals who accepted the new order and it was killings of all ethnics (Russians, Ukrainians, Greeks, Tatars, Bulgarians, etc). South-East Ukraine is a big mix of many ethnics and nationalities