There was no any difference between Ukraine and Russia in USSR, they was just regions, IDK, like neighbouring counties, nothing more. There was no any borders or anything else. Division to the Ukraine and Russia was only formal and nobody cared, because it did not matter at all. So, the eastern part of Ukraine have mostyl Russian-speaking population and western part is mostly Ukrainian speaking population. There is no any noticeable ethnic difference in people and there was no any previous really separate states.
After gaining independence Ukraine had two state languages - Ukrainian and Russian. They are very similar languages, really it is just different dialects of single language, Belorussian language too in that family, and most Russians and Ukrainians understand each other without problems. In Kiev and even Lvov you will not have a problems speaking Rusiian, Kiev is still 50/50 Russian/Ukrainian speaking town f.e. But after 2014 powershift new Ukrainian government made Ukrainian language as only state language official entities allowed do paperwork in.
This created tensions between Western and Eastern Ukraine, since even state bureaucrats in Eastern Ukraine don't want to switch to Ukrainian dialect.
That was the first great reason of all that Donbass/Lugansk/Kharkov/Crimea mess.
The second great reason is that on the fall of Yanukovich gang, Donetsk mafia who own and robber Donetsk coal mines under Yanukovich presidency, feared that they will be smashed by new government supported mafia from west.
So, that two things - language driven tensions and war between two mafias for coal mines create current situation.
Really, if post-Yanukovich government had been smarter to not force Ukrainian language, things could be completely different, because most Eastern Russian-speaking citizens hate Yanukovich and his mafia and thugs not less than Western Ukrainian-speaking citizens. Nobody in Donetsk/Lugansk/Kharkov/Crimea really wanted Russian Federation to reclaim that land, they just wanted to live without thugs and thieves and use their language as state one in their own state. Russia was allowed by NWO to get the Crimea just to fix falling Putin credibility and ratings. There was no any problem for Putin to do the same with Donetsk/Lugansk (and even Kharkov, despite the rebellion failed there) at all, but he was not allowed to do that by his masters.
Interesting, that this language division and discarding Russian language was pushed by US councellors to the new Ukrainian government as a mean of resisting "Russian influence". That pleased Western part of Ukraine a tiny bit, but eventually bring a lot more problems and division to the whole situation.
Interesring, that initially, at the beginning of Donetsk and Lugansk rebellion, there was intent to create some kind of real Russian state opposing to Putin and Co NWO shills, Yanukovich mafia and Western Ukraine NWO government. Many people in Russian Federation had a hope that it could be the first real Russian (not anti-Russian jewish-NWO shit like Russian Federation) state in exUSSR where some kind of resistance to the Putin and Co totaliarism could grow and where you could hide from Putin's totaliarism. There even some independent help convoys was organized and crowdfounded to support rebellion, but that help to Donetsk/Lugansk was seized by Russian Federation authorities (!) and rebellion was shifted to what we have now.
All in all, nobody win, except Russian and Ukrainian NWO shills.
That is how I see that situation from inside Russia, trying to be as objective as possible without depending on all that propaganda bullshit from all sides, but of course I could be wrong or miss something important.
you may get a decent understanding of the situation from here
https://www.britannica.com/place/Ukraine/The-Maidan-protest-movement
There was no any difference between Ukraine and Russia in USSR, they was just regions, IDK, like neighbouring counties, nothing more. There was no any borders or anything else. Division to the Ukraine and Russia was only formal and nobody cared, because it did not matter at all. So, the eastern part of Ukraine have mostyl Russian-speaking population and western part is mostly Ukrainian speaking population. There is no any noticeable ethnic difference in people and there was no any previous really separate states.
After gaining independence Ukraine had two state languages - Ukrainian and Russian. They are very similar languages, really it is just different dialects of single language, Belorussian language too in that family, and most Russians and Ukrainians understand each other without problems. In Kiev and even Lvov you will not have a problems speaking Rusiian, Kiev is still 50/50 Russian/Ukrainian speaking town f.e. But after 2014 powershift new Ukrainian government made Ukrainian language as only state language official entities allowed do paperwork in.
This created tensions between Western and Eastern Ukraine, since even state bureaucrats in Eastern Ukraine don't want to switch to Ukrainian dialect.
That was the first great reason of all that Donbass/Lugansk/Kharkov/Crimea mess.
The second great reason is that on the fall of Yanukovich gang, Donetsk mafia who own and robber Donetsk coal mines under Yanukovich presidency, feared that they will be smashed by new government supported mafia from west.
So, that two things - language driven tensions and war between two mafias for coal mines create current situation.
Really, if post-Yanukovich government had been smarter to not force Ukrainian language, things could be completely different, because most Eastern Russian-speaking citizens hate Yanukovich and his mafia and thugs not less than Western Ukrainian-speaking citizens. Nobody in Donetsk/Lugansk/Kharkov/Crimea really wanted Russian Federation to reclaim that land, they just wanted to live without thugs and thieves and use their language as state one in their own state. Russia was allowed by NWO to get the Crimea just to fix falling Putin credibility and ratings. There was no any problem for Putin to do the same with Donetsk/Lugansk (and even Kharkov, despite the rebellion failed there) at all, but he was not allowed to do that by his masters.
Interesting, that this language division and discarding Russian language was pushed by US councellors to the new Ukrainian government as a mean of resisting "Russian influence". That pleased Western part of Ukraine a tiny bit, but eventually bring a lot more problems and division to the whole situation.
Interesring, that initially, at the beginning of Donetsk and Lugansk rebellion, there was intent to create some kind of real Russian state opposing to Putin and Co NWO shills, Yanukovich mafia and Western Ukraine NWO government. Many people in Russian Federation had a hope that it could be the first real Russian (not anti-Russian jewish-NWO shit like Russian Federation) state in exUSSR where some kind of resistance to the Putin and Co totaliarism could grow and where you could hide from Putin's totaliarism. There even some independent help convoys was organized and crowdfounded to support rebellion, but that help to Donetsk/Lugansk was seized by Russian Federation authorities (!) and rebellion was shifted to what we have now.
All in all, nobody win, except Russian and Ukrainian NWO shills.
That is how I see that situation from inside Russia, trying to be as objective as possible without depending on all that propaganda bullshit from all sides, but of course I could be wrong or miss something important.