[Paul R.]

But... According to that last map, the region with the highest % of Russians other than Crimea is only 39% Russian. I suppose one could do the equivalent of gerrymandered boundaries, but even then it’s a mess.

[caww]

This has little if anything to do with the population.....this has to do with the active encroachment of the EU/NATO/US into the political affairs of Ukraine and adjoining nations......which began more than ten years ago.

Once US and EU violated Ukraine’s sovereignty and interfered in their domestic political affairs by fomenting, supporting, and funding the Right Sector and Neo-Cons.. the West and Russia Federation were at War.

Putin said in his march 18th speech, and many times before that...

.....“But let me say that we are not opposed to cooperation with NATO, for this is certainly not the case. For all the internal processes within the organisation, NATO remains a military alliance, and we are against having a military alliance making itself at home right in our backyard or in our historic territory.”