I would support your stance if we were talking about a literal ethnic cleansing, where the invading power just wants to exterminate you. For example Nazi Germany attacking the “inferior” race - Slavs. In that context, you either get massacred like a cattle or go down fighting for your freedom. That’s noble and I get the sentiment.

Here, the situation is a bit different. I get that everyone hopped on the Ukraine train just now, but there are many nuances that you are not considering.

Specifically regarding the civilians. The more civilians die the WORSE it will get for Putin. He wanted to get in fast and take out the leadership within a few days, while telling the regular Russians that they are liberating their Ukrainian brothers. I am not even making it up, that’s the narrative on Russian internet. Putin specifically said (aka lied) that they will targeting military buildings and combatants ONLY.

So the more Ukrainian civilians die the shittier it gets for Putin externally (from other countries) and internally from his own people.