Maybe, maybe not. Russians tried to take Chechnya and failed. So they went back a second time and leveled Grozny to rubble. They've held it ever since and today, Chechens are loyal Russian fighters.
The last time I was in Luhansk, everyone there wanted Russian visas so they could move there where the standard of living was better. In Europe, only Moldova is poorer than Ukraine. Most of east Ukraine looks like Detroit. I'd never before seen white people living in such squalor.
Ya I guess that east of the Dnieper is favorable towards Russia and West of that river is favorable towards Europe.
I heard that it is pretty run down over there.