Poland went through roughly the same process but came out much better simply because the Polish people weren't the aggressor, Russia was. And that's why they felt liberated and motivated to make a change. But Russia wasn't liberated, it's just that you exchanged one batch of fat cats for another. Democracy had nothing to do with it, that's just a tool in the box.
After the destruction of the USSR Poland became sort of a showcase. As a limitrof sitting in between Russia and Europe Poland can't afford always being pro-European or pro-Russian. It's being pro-Polish which means finding the right balance at the moment. Simply put, as long as Bruxelles has resources to support Poland Poland stays pro-European.
Seems like this year may be quite interesting in this regard.
In fact, we have the most unfavourable view on Russia in the world... 97% of Poles view Russia unfavourably [1]. There is a reason why Poland took on 1M+ Ukrainian refugees and continues to supply weapons and being major hub for American/European operations.
[1] https://notesfrompoland.com/2022/06/22/only-2-of-poles-view-...