I’ve been to the Donbas. I have friends and family in the Donbas. My wife is one of those Russian speakers from Lugansk region.
The Russians started their fake separatist movement with agents, bribes, threats, and mafia tactics. They later sent in clandestine troops. Some people were “disappeared” in the Latin American dirty war since of the term.
Today, in the Donbas teachers, civil engineers, hospital workers, and bureaucrats have to join the party. The party is called United Russia. How is that for an “independent republic”?
That is their problem.
Not ours.
Ours is to stay to hell out of there and let them kill each other off. Once they are done, they’ll settle down and stop the feud till they replenish their potential and start with the killing again.
“agents, bribes, threats, and mafia tactics.”
BTW..does that sound familiar to what is now in effect within this nation?