I have heard conflicting reports from different media outlets regarding the Donbas region. Some so-called Russia experts have said that after Russia’s invasion of the Crimea those who had been very pro-Russian in the Donbas region turned against Russia. Others have been reiterating how pro-Russian the Donbas region still is. What is the most objective analysis of the Donbas region’s support for Russia ? How determined are they to break way from Ukraine?
From what I’ve read, and reports I’ve seen, the situation in Donbas is just as you describe. Mixed. Some Russian-speaking people living there were horrified when Russia took over Crimea, while others were elated. I believe there are plenty of ethnic Russian Ukrainians on both sides.
If you happen to speak Russian, and you were walking down the street in Donetsk asking random people what they thought you would get a full range of responses. There is clearly an organized resistance to Ukraine in Donbas and has been for the past 8 years. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have died trying to put down this resistance which is being aided by Russia.
The question is looking at Donbas as a whole, and not just the ethnic Russians alone, does the majority want to stay in Ukraine or become part of Russia. I’m guessing that the majority are happier today being part of Ukraine than they ever were being part of the USSR.
There are different answers depending on what you want to include as Donbass. The region was split into two halves, effectively, with the Eastern half controlled by Russia (or Russian separatists, as you prefer) and the Western half by Ukraine.
This survey seems to be by a German group and the results for the Russian section of Donbass don’t seem to match a Western expectation so I’m inclined to trust it: