Russian elite has grown less willing to provide direct economic benefit to the separatists
(World News Russia)

An important part of Russia`s grand strategy in terms of foreign policy is its purposeful creation and management of conflict zones across the post-Soviet space. This has to do with the battle Russia is fighting with the West over the borderlands—i.e., the regions that adjoin Russia from the west and south. Maintaining the 11 buffer states around Russia (excluding the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) is a cornerstone of the Kremlin`s foreign policy against Western military and economic encroachment. The Russians knew that because of their country`s low economic attractiveness, the South Caucasus states would inevitably turn to Europe. The same was likely to occur with Moldova...