Thanks for that careful explanation--I knew some but not all. My knowledge of the people of Ukraine comes in large part from caretakers we hired in ~1999 to help care for my parents: Ukrainian immigrants who hated Russia. They were thrilled to be free of Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed.
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Post-Soviet Russia grew impatient with the transition to a free market economy, and Putin was propelled into power by this sentiment.
The fast way to get a seat at the table was to upset the apple cart. Russia, as in Soviet times, has created a situation where they only thrive on chaos.