Russia suffered a substantial land loss and severe economic problems due to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. However, the land Germany gained from Russia was to be independent according to Treaty of Versailles. Would this help Russia to get the lost land back?
And would this have any positive effect on the Russian economy?
They benefited indirectly. First, according to the treaty Germany had to evacuate their troops in Ukraine, (and everywhere else on the territory of the former Russian empire) which made it possible for Russia to conquer Ukraine. I recall that in spring 1918 Russia surrendered to Germany (Brest-Litovsk treaty. This treaty was universally considered shameful by the Russians and was one of the reasons of the Civil war in Russia. This treaty was annulled by the Versailles treaty. This helped Bolsheviks to win the Civil war).
Some states indeed became independent (Poland, Baltic states and Finland). But two of them, Ukraine and Belarus, were almost immediately conquered by Russia when German help to them stopped by Versailles treaty. Unlike Poland and Finland, they could not defend themselves.
Second, by various restrictions on the German industry, especially military, it pushed Germany to close co-operation with Russia, both in economy and in the military sphere. This co-operation benefited both Russia and Germany.
