DNR is only there because of Russia. I have a lot of relatives in the region and visited many times. There is no other reason except for Russia pushing “different identity” topic for decades. First with propaganda and collaborationists (money), then (more recently) military. It’s not a people’s republic.

I don’t know about Kosovo, but I know for sure about DNR. Transnistria is a crappy corruptionist hole for money laundering, there is nothing about people’s will there as well.