UPDATE
So the only other thing I could think of was to connect stuck iPad to Mac (my iPhones have gotten fouled up over the years trying to connect by USB and clicking to update in its Finder window; I only update them now from themselves while connected to electricity, so it occured to me to try the other way around: device stuck on it own, try the Mac), and lo and behold clicking ‘set up as new’ set iPad off on its setup march.
Got it set up and spent next couple of hours deleting Apps, going thru every single Setting and level, adding back previous apps etc.
Started first with NordVPN and luckily it worked!
Sadly, it took many interactions over couple of months with ‘customer support Zendesk’ at NordVPN and a nuclear solution requiring several hours effort to get it to work. One of the worst iPad/iOS experience I’ve ever had.
So now I have to decide if I want to spend so many hours on my second iPad, or wipe it and give it to family or just put in Airplane mode and never connect to the Webs.