Wait, isn’t there still a cold/low grade shooting conflict in Donbas region?
Didn’t Russia annex Crimea and support the “rebels” in Donbas in 2014 when Victor Yanukovych fled?
Are they not currently set tripping in Ukraine, not invading... they just took a little land, industry and a military base.
I think the question is what, if any, are their aspirations, and what, if anything , would provoke further encroachment?
Donbas is still simmering, locals are really in a bad spot Ukrainian government is either incapable or unwilling to accept the fact that shelling locals for the past 6+ years is not getting them any fans .For Russia frozen conflict is preferable over Donbas not geting get special status. In a perverted sort of way for Russia, it provides a buffer and tripwire to the west.
But in long term i think the only way to solve the Donbas situation if Ukraine is not going to is to resettle as many as they can in Russia and leave ghost towns behind, they can always use these folks but they do not need land or the local industries.
Ukraine is not taking Donbas by force anytime soon. LNR&DNR are not weak on their own not to mention given that many now sport Russian citizenship that is being issued en masse, they can count on Russia backing them up if things heat up.
''According to the IISS 2014 data, the tank fleet of the Russian-backed separatist “republics” is comparable to the total number of tanks in service with the armies of Germany, France and the Czech Republic combined. Poland boasts a more impressive fleet (893 tanks). As for artillery power, the volume of arms of the “DNR” and “LNR” surpasses all the Baltic countries together, as well as the German, French, and Czech armies. European NATO members, excluding the Czech Republic and the Baltic states, have an advantage over the separatists only in the number of combat armored vehicles. The French army’s fleet of armored vehicles is five times greater than that of the “DNR” and “LNR.”
Don't get me wrong its not like wast majority of them want to leave Ukraine, they are literally being forced out, Ukraine is blundering from one bad decision into the next one that alienates these folks even further, hardcore de-russification is no way they can sway the favor of folks that are mostly ethnic Russians and/or have spoken Russian their whole lives, newly modern glorification of xyz nazi collaborators just adds a cherry on top. Now even those that want, can't study or work in Ukraine without going through a sort of 'naturalization' (Ukrainian language and 'new'history proficiency) so ties to Ukraine are unwittingly being cut because that is momentarily opportune for the elites in West Ukraine.
Crimea is gone, you can run elections, referendums heck even bring dominion voting machines

folk will vote for Russia every time , Russia has spent a lot of $$$ improving the infrastructure and life in Crimea in past couple of years. In addition further 250k or so Russians moved to Crimea with the jobs in the military and resurrected industry,so while Crimea already had mostly Russian population before 2014 its much more so today.
Donbas on other hand could be 'reclaimed' but likely only by granting them special status and broad autonomy like they agreed on Minsk 2 agreement. The only way to get folks back into the fold is through trade , economic revival and Ukraine as a whole would benefit.
You also have to understand that for Europe the dire situation of Ukraine is a great opportunity aside from literaly swarm of locusts like Hunter Biden feasting on Ukraine, Ukrainians now form much needed low cost workforce for Europe. Huge numbers of Poles, Balts work in Western Europe so face shortages of the workforce all year round,Poland was/is looking to import workers from Philipines. Due to emigration to the west poles need cca 4mio foreign workers. The only thing better than broken dysfunctioning Ukraine would be broken and dysfunctioning Ukraine and Belarus.
It seems there is at least some recognition of the way to go.
An unsavory compromise may be everyone’s best hope.
www.politico.com
While Russians more or less cleaned shop of the early Donbas commanders turned warlords, these foreign adventurers,outlaws and soldiers for hire still seem to be around.