Even assuming the independence movements are legit (I don’t know enough to say one way or another), it’s still extremely cynical of Russia to weaponize the recognition of these countries as a prelude to starting a military conflict.
2 points
russia’s economy is dependent on oil/nat gas, ukraine discovered massive natural gas deposits in 2013 in the Crimean sea and the eastern regions. Ukraine is more friendly to nato/EU and offers the west a way to hurt the russian economy by buying from Ukraine. Russia takes crimea and starts funding the eastern regions separatists
it is very straight forward tbh
