Freedom from the CCCP, and no domestic economy, lead to fifteen years of going into debt servitude.
Russia is offering to buy the EU debt, as all the help these people got was EU goods sold on credit.
Russia does have a major gas pipeline through there, and sells gas to the locals for less than world market price.
The protesters go home to warm houses, and cook on Russian gas.
Eastern Europe is in worse shape than Greece, for the same easy debt reasons.
On the EU side, they can try to sell into a more developed market, German and Nordic machines, on the Russian side, they can sell to other low income countries.
No matter which way they go, Russia owns their energy supply.
Most Eastern European money is worthless outside their borders.
So they have to pay their debts by exporting raw materials.
Europe always did want their grain lands.