Lad

Yes. The Donetsk and Luhansk separatist republics were created by pro-Russian Ukranians with Moscow’s backing. Russia officially annexed them in 2022.

It’s all a bit complicated though. You have ethnic Russians who consider themselves Russian despite being born within the borders of what we known as Ukraine. You also have many who were born in Soviet Ukraine prior to the collapse of the USSR in 1991 who still feel an affinity for Russia. And pro-Russian politics have existed for as long as independent Ukraine has.

My guess is that even if the war ended today and the borders returned to the pre-2014 borders, there would still be a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine for a very long time.

As far as internet content goes, hate is winning. All the major social media platforms have been overrun by sexist, racist, LGBTQphobic commentary. And these platforms will simply follow the money, pushing hate content via algorithms as good people leave the platforms.