Those two would be logical, both have significant Russian minority and a lot more of Russian-speakers, so they always were pro-Russian. Also Odessa is a major port, economic center, and strategic city.
Exactly, these seem the most obvious places, and a lot will depend on the state of the Ukrainian army and the economy in the next few months. It's entirely possible that either Ukrainian army collapses due to lack of resources and manpower or that Ukrainian economy crashes because US funding gets cut off. At that point Russia can dictate any terms they want unilaterally.
Those two would be logical, both have significant Russian minority and a lot more of Russian-speakers, so they always were pro-Russian. Also Odessa is a major port, economic center, and strategic city.
Exactly, these seem the most obvious places, and a lot will depend on the state of the Ukrainian army and the economy in the next few months. It's entirely possible that either Ukrainian army collapses due to lack of resources and manpower or that Ukrainian economy crashes because US funding gets cut off. At that point Russia can dictate any terms they want unilaterally.