Ok , so Russia never invaded Ukraine. Got it.
Hope you have got it. If not, know this:
The protests at Kiev Maidan had everything to do with with the problems in discussion. It led to the coup, the overthrow of the elected president Yanukovych, & protest leaders proceeded to take control of the government.
Widespread protests against the coup occurred in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine,
where Yanukovych received 85% support in the 2010 presidential election.
If there was no overthrow of the elected government, there would have been no establishment of de facto independent states in Donetsk and Luhansk. Because of the Ukranian Nationalist overthrow of Yanukovich the entire Ukraine navy had “defected” in the Crimea region, pledging allegiance to its unrecognised pro-Russian in the Donbass. Russia didn't fire a single shot
& you think they invaded. It was the eternal call of nationalism Crimea called & answered.
Now for the alienate the people of Donetsk and Lugansk who, having a president THEY voted for,
of Donetsk and Lugansk who, having a president THEY voted for, rather thought Ukraine had a democracy already. Their president was removed replaced with an interim president
who tried to ban their language and appointed billionaire governors of the eastern regions without elections then they proceeded to burn alive the people of Odessa who protested.
East Ukraine, at this point, got it's taste of the new "Ukrainian democracy and freedom" and found they did not care for it. Russia always has been 'Protector of the Slavs' saw what the new regime was doing to those slavs in E Ukraine had to defend the breakaway oblasts.
The two other oblasts who rebelled while breaking from Ukraine voted in the last election
when Ukraine was whole were actually more Russian leaning than Crimea.
In the last legitimate election 2010 the following Provinces voted accordingly:
Crimea Yanukovich 78.24% Tymoshenko 17.31%
Donetsk region Yanukovich 90.44% Tymoshenko 6.45%
Luhansk region Yanukovich 88.96% Tymoshenko 7.72%
Ukraine is more united without the northeast provinces
& Crimea but consider Kharkiv & Odessa also voted heavily for
Yanakovich in the last legitimate united Ukraine election,
& those critical areas are not entirely on board with the
powers in Kiev & Lviv either., far from it! These oblasts just
might welcome Putin, we''ll see!