In this context Donbass makes a lot more sense than another senseless slaughter in Afghanistan, Nagorny Karabah, Chechnya or Syria. Those are Russian people there, and liberating them takes priority over helping some arab dictator hold on to the throne. Plus Donbass has strategic importance as a buffer zone.Russia needs to convince its own populace that Donbass is worth the resources, which the middle east brouhahas have proved is a difficult sell