It isn’t only the Ukraine. Today Transdniestr, a Russian-speaking section of Moldavia, declared itself independent and asked for UN recognition.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3145196/posts
Putin is a former KGB operative who clearly has been working in this direction ever since he took power, looking to put the Soviet Union back together again.
Transdniestr seceded from Moldavia back in the 1990s. But thanks for playing along.