The reasons for two things are simple and basically the same in both cases Bild acknowledges:

- for separatist regions Ukraine means and does nothing but oppression

- so they want to work with people who actually help them, that is Russian people



It started many years ago. Majority (close to 90%) people in Donbass voted for pro-Soviet/pro-Russian parties (namely Party of Regions and Communist Party of Ukraine, both banned after the pro-Western coup). In year 2002 one of candidates for position of mayor of Lugansk went of elections with slogan "Lugansk needs its own Putin". He won the elections.



When coup in Kiev violently overthrown legitimate government and groups of nationalists who supported the coup started to attack any opposition to the interests of new ruling parties, some people in Eastern pro-Russian regions started to look for autonomy or secession, _to continue_ to be what they actually were: pro-Soviet and pro-Russian regions. Crimea seceded and joined Russia, Donetsk and Lugansk regions hold pro-autonomy referendums, but then were attacked by Ukrainian army and lawless "volunteer battalions" (never thought why local police in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, as well as in Crimea, didn't put resistance to separatists and didn't form any force to support Ukrainian cause?).



Ukraine labeled resistance to its new government "terrorism" and didn't hesitate to do anything they could to worsen life in breakaway regions.

— separatist cities were attacked-shelled without any even slightest attempt to spare lives of local populations

— trade / food blockade were introduced

— people who refused to move to Ukraine-controlled get cut from any payments, just common people, not accused in any anti-government activity

— ministry of education decided that all schooling must be stopped on territories Ukraine does not control, and those teachers who refuse to obey are going to be prosecuted

...



Russia moved in and provided support for trade, supplying food, supplied Russian textbooks for schools and helped with money.



Think for a moment: why Ukraine wants to cease =any= schooling on non-controlled territories, but it is Russia provides schools with textbooks? The answer is clear: new Ukrainian government knows that 90% of people in separatist regions never choose "pro-Ukrainian", they even won't ask "pro-Ukrainian" textbooks.



Paul R. Gregory says "a change to the fundamental structure of the country, which, after the loss of some 10,000 lives, is unlikely to be politically feasible". Does he thinks, saying that, that majority of lost lives were common people of Donetsk and Lugansk regions? Does he understand that he asks to integrate into Ukraine people who Ukraine tried to oppress and cut of any supplies and help?



Does he know that Akhmetov is not only oligarch, but also was for years sided with pro-Russian party of government overthrown by the coup? Does he know that people of Mariupol, which remains under Ukrainian control, rejected all the parties associated with coup, but voted for man associated with Akhmetov energy giant DTEK, who works with Russia? Does he know that majority of people in Kharkov and Odessa also voted against every person and party associated with government and Kiev and supported opposition?



Donbass (locals write it with two 's') cannot be integrated in Ukraine until given power to reject laws against its identity, and will be choosing any opposition to parties/persons who took attempts to strangle and subdue it.