Why do Russians support intervention in Ukraine?

In explaining Putin's drastic moves in Ukraine, commentators have highlighted domestic support for the intervention, stressing Putin's soaring approval ratings since the start of the conflict. With 94 percent of Russians supportingRussia's annexation of  Crimea, there is no doubt that the overall perception of the Ukrainian crisis in the country is a product of remarkable mass media fear-mongering campaign, which utilised the image of the neo-fascist to taint democratic developments in Ukraine and to discredit the new Ukrainian leadership.

However, we are yet to understand the specific cultural reasoning behind popular support. Beyond the importance of the propaganda machine, what are the interpretative frames that drive the public's seemingly unproblematic support for Russia's actions in Ukraine?

To answer this question, let's focus on what one would call "ordinary Russians" that fall into the demographic of Putin's core electorate: the 50+ (my parents') generation of middle to lower class people whose education is the product of Soviet-era conceptualisation of history, citizenship and identity. Their adamant support for Russia's takeover of Crimea reflects Russian President's triumphalist rhetoric of "regional stability", "rendering a helping hand to the fraternal nation" and "fighting fascism". 

These people would often see Russia's actions as justified on two levels. Firstly, appealing to the union between Russian and Ukrainian people, they stress Russia's "moral" obligation to help the brotherly nation being pulled apart by "ultranationalist thugs" and their Western backers. Secondly, they argue that Russia needs to "be strong" in protecting its own sovereignty and putting an end to the indiscriminate meddling of the West in world affairs.