[vkou]

Ukraine didn't have Russian troops occupying anything but the leased Crimean bases before the war started (and I do count the start of the war as being immediately after Euromaidan)... Yet in 2013, it was the second poorest country in Europe. (Ahead of Moldova, which has been occupied for decades, but significantly behind Belarus and Bulgaria)

[wiseowise]

> Ukraine didn't have Russian troops occupying anything but the leased Crimean bases before the war started

Do you seriously believe Russians would leave Crimea if Ukrainians didn’t renew the lease?

[vkou]

Whether they were going to leave or not if it wasn't renewed decades down the road isn't particularly relevant to why Ukraine's economy was in the pits. It's not like those sailors were 'foraging' the countryside for their upkeep.

"It's much like Russia but with no oil or gas" was the better explanation for why it wasn't doing well. It's also why Belarus isn't topping the development indexes.

[brnt]

They didn't need troops till Maidan. They had the government already.

[drysine]

Orange revolution in 2004 changed the Ukrainian government.

[Eldt]

And how long does weeding out corruption take?