Is Russia actually losing the war?, page-54

The conflict started in 2014 when the CIA financed the overthrow of the elected Ukrainian government.

They claimed to have spent $5 billion to get control of Ukraine. The dog grabbed the bone.

However most of the mineral wealth of the Ukraine was in the Donbas.

2 things happened at the time.

First Crimea.

A friend of mine had a girlfriend in Simferopol Crimea and I saw her daily letters about what was happening there. I summarise what she told him

First she was terrified of armed natzi thugs who had arrived from Maidan violently demonstrating and roaming the streets.

Next the local men got small arms from the russian military bases and evicted the thugs from Crimea. She was proud of her menfolk for acting to defend the people. There was no bloodshed as the thugs saw that the people were now armed and so went back home.

The people voted and Russia accepted their wish to be part of Russia. She said the people celebrated just as they had celebrated when Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space.

My friend made a video about this...
Next Donbas.

The thugs then went to Donbas which was the USSr's equivalent of the ruhr; a very rich industrial area with massive mineral wealth (very cheap for $5 billion).

Here many army units opposed the Kiev junta and a war developed initially between Kolomoisky's natzi militia and the "seperatists" with their local army units and some help from Russia. They asked to join Russia but Putin refused their request. The fighting died down with the Minsk agreements which gave the Donbas a federal status within Ukraine. However Ukraine refused to implement these agreements and continued to shell separaist areas. So after 8 years the SMO started and now 4 oblasts have voted to become part of Russia. This time Russia is likely to grant their wish.

The Ukraine would have done better to implement the agreements they made. According to Poroshenko they never intended to do this but wanted time to build up their army. The cost to the Ukraine has not yet been counted.