If i were to make a guess about this guy's trajectory in the last years:
- life ain't working out great, gets into trouble with the law, felonies, is unemployed a lot and when he is employed he's not doing a great job at it, resentments build, goes from one hope to another to save "something" that grows from "himself" to abstract concepts like democracy in the world, the country etc
-has the bernie period, has some trump period, then tulsi, then hailey, sends money to shareblue, etc. allover the place.
- covid happens, focuses on that - antivax
-ukraine happens - his mind is latching onto this as yet another "something" that needs pursued to the utmost intensity - sells his shit, jumps on a plane, sets up a base of recruiting, almost 100% chance he gets in contact with all sorts of spooks (american, ukrainean, euros) that most likely see he is a bit of a nut. so far i have no reason to believe he was "shaped" into returning home with a trump vengeance, but if that somehow happens to be the case, it's only from that other nut Budanov's entourage
- funds run out, the recruitment operation isn't going well, he has to go home
- need to focus that loon intensity on something else, first trump assassination attempt happens, and loon sees it as a possibility to make his mark on history when that other dude didn't, and show those guys in ukraine that didn't give him the time of day that he single handedly can eliminate the risks that trump comes and imposes a peace.
- how did a felon get his hands on a AK47? well, i'm sure i don't know. was a dude like this likely NOT to be on some sort of a list? very unlikely, it will probably be another one of those "we were aware of him" types.