Strategy for Ukraine: there is no and never was any real substitution for the real thing, and there is no real thing without real, genuine principles--genuine care for the people

The only viable strategy for regaining Ukraine and the hearts and sympathies of the Ukrainians would be/would have been a principled, clear and convincing "narodnaya vlast" (people's empowerment) policy, which was the initial popular program of the Donbass resistance and rising revolution, before the Kremlin quashed it under the hands-on puppeteering by Surkov teamed up with Akhmetov. The only viable political and ideological strategy is and would have been Russia's own principled, clear anti-oligarchic, anti-corruption (revolutionary) reform--cleaning up of the acts and corruption. Alas, as much necessary and crucial this was, the vested interests of oligarchy and corruption and its entrenchment in power made this and makes a "bridge too far." Instead, for the Russian elite, all is a business as usual or just it is extension and continuation. Some said that a thief makes the best judge for he knows all about crime, but one can't achieve justice with a character and mind of a thief. And unprincipled slyness can never make up for the lack of principles, honor, honesty, and true care.