They just bypassed sanctions like everyone... it's not even new tricks.
Putin held people at gunpoint for that vote and killed nalvany.
Oh and the ink was erasable and they stuffed some ballots... dead people voted.
Countries want to join because they drank the kool-aid or they're just scared... not of putin but of Winnie the pooh.
The military is weak that's why they bought Wagner with stolen money from hacking and they have to import fighters constantly and they did roll out the Soviet Era weapons first... the west has better weapons but those are ours.
And the soldiers aren't trained... the ones from Russia are half prisoners.... people who were murderers and rapists but not free thinkers or activists or political rivals.
So there's that.