Two major misconception of the West in this article:
1) Russia is getting weaker. What weaker? Russia controls affordable energy and minerals that Europe desperately needs. If anyone is getting weaker, its Europe.
2) China wants to take Siberia. A regurgitation of the Tom Clancy conspiracy theory. China is not interested in Siberia. It is just not worth the effort and expense to conquer Siberia. Better to just negotiate a good deal to buy resources from there. China has no ambition to conquer and plunder, that is a very Western thinking. Its yet another Western projection game. One can even ask if the oil in Iraq and Syria are worth the blood and treasure that the West have spent over there.
The Western elites are desperate. Their plans for world domination is falling apart. That's why they have to wet dream of some conflict between Russia and China. Still hoping against hope that Russia will somehow trust the West more than China. That train has already passed. The West had its chance to woo Russia, but they've blown it big time. Now, the Western elites are in big trouble, and deservedly so.
There is more to it than just some minerals and water. People often confuse Soviet with Russia. Soviet was Ukrainian elite creation thats why you see so many factories/pipelines/ nuclear reactors in Ukraine without the scientific knowledge/ engineering behind it. it was bound to fall.
MIG-25 Pilot defected to Japan at height of Cold war. do you see any Russian pilot defecting?. there are hundreds of transport planes that work round the clock. distance from Far East to Crimea is same as from US to Europe. this show that majority ideologically agree with this operation. There few percent liberals that will move to West that is understandable.
The Commander of Eastern Military district is from Dagestan. People from Caucuses works in large clans and families. once the leader is from there than it attracts further recruits. This will be transformation of Russian far East like never before.
Than there is that wider outreach to Middleast and North Africa. like Arabs as guests in FIFA opening match Moscow, Arabs in Arctic, Russian planes landing in Morocco in way to Latin America. these are all gestures.
I am sure Russians have more detailed inside data about demographics but seeing how this Ukraine operation is conducted is the reflection of reality. They are not doing anything illogical. Korea/Japan with similar income level has practically zero ability to mobilize.