Here is my understanding of this cultural situation which was common throughout the USSR.

1) Russia had a policy of making Russian the dominant language in the regions they conquered.

2) In the non-Russian regions, the original people had to learn Russian if they wanted to "get ahead."

3) Some of these families decided to forego teaching their children the family's language. These children were mononlingual Russian. But they might have identified themselves with the original ethic group, not Russian. Today, this group(s) has no desire to be under Russian control.

4) Russians who moved into the new territories seldom learned the local language. This group kept their Russian heritage/identification for generations. This group were the main agitators for the independent territory to return to Russian control.

From your original post, it seems many Russians of Group 4 are turning against their heritage. They are learning Ukrainian. This would include Odessa, Dnipritrovosk, and Kharkiv, which had many Russian speakers of Russian heritage.

Crimea is another matter. These Russians were firmly in favor of Russian control. You are not certain if they have switched their allegiance (as a culture).

It seems that Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kirgizstan have convinced the former Russian population to leave.

Kazakhstan and the Baltic Republics still have many ethnic Russians. I would be interesting to see if these Russians are also turning away from their allegiance to Moscow. Are they learning the local languages?