That corruptionist was not "overwhelmingly popular". It was of the political party that is popular, not more not less.
It was all orchestrated by Russia. You can find tons of videos of russian hero's of that time, and they openly confirm now, that regular military was in Crimea, Donetsk , etc, since 2014. This is not some "leaked" phone. It's many interviews openly sitting on youtube and confirming with smiles their actions.
All of that evidence can be verified with a quick google.
>That corruptionist was not "overwhelmingly popular".
In Crimea and the Donbass he undeniably was. Election figures confirm this. Again, a quick google would confirm this.
>It was all orchestrated by Russia.
The source for this definitely IS imagination.
>You can find tons of videos of russian hero's of that time, and they openly confirm now, that regular military was in Crimea, Donetsk , etc,
Of course. Just as many "patriotic western" soldiers ended up fighting for Ukraine, many "patriotic Russians" ended up fighting in the donbass.