When Germany dictated terms to Russia through General Max Hoffman at Brest-Litovsk the Russians formerly lost the following areas:
Finland , Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania , Poland , Belarus , and Ukraine became independent, while Bessarabia united with Romania.
Russia lost 34% of its population, 54% of its industrial land, 89% of its coalfields, and 26% of its railways. Russia was also fined 300 million gold marks.
When Russia was dismantled by the west under their CIA agent Boris Yeltsin, the US military demanded the freeing of the above areas following the views of Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg.
When Hindenburg was asked why they needed the Baltic states he replied, “To secure my left flank for when the next war happens.”