The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a long-standing territorial dispute over the Crimean Peninsula, which was formerly part of Ukrainian territory.
In March 2014, pro-Russian forces seized control of the peninsula. The Russian takeover was viewed as an illegal annexation by most other countries in the world. A referendum to decide whether Crimea should remain part of Ukraine or join with Russia took place on March 16, 2014.
The results showed that 97 percent voted in favour of joining Russia—despite evidence that some ballots were filled out fraudulently and many Ukrainian citizens were unable to vote. Even so, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty with Crimean leaders officially making
Russia and Ukraine have been enemies since their independence.
In 2014, they had a war that lasted for 2 years. However, in 2015 the two countries agreed to end the conflict after it caused over 7000 deaths. The war began when Russia captured Crimea by force because Putin wanted to protect Russian people who were living there. After this incident, Ukrainians voted for new leaders and promised to take action against Russia if one more attack occurred on Ukrainian land. A month later, pro-Russian separatists who were living in Eastern Ukraine took over government buildings and killed police officers to try and make Eastern Ukraine independent from their country. Unfortunately, the Russians supported these men
Conflict Relations between Russia and Ukraine have been strained since the latter gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
These tensions have often risen to the surface, as they did during a series of disputes over gas prices and deliveries that began in 2006 and continued through 2009. The countries’ bilateral relations became particularly strained following Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision in November 2013 to abandon an economic alliance with Europe and pursue closer ties with Russia instead.
In February 2014, protesters took to Kyiv’s central square demanding that Yanukovych resign for rejecting the European integration deal; on February 22, he was removed from office by parliament after nearly 100 people
The press of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced on Thursday, August 6, they had agreed to provide an opportunity for a group of international experts to visit the crash site of Boeing flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine have been enemies for centuries. The two nations were part of the same country in the Middle Ages, but split as a result of a religious dispute and eventually became enemies.
This conflict came to full light during World War II when Russia invaded Ukraine and captured its capital city, Kiev. During that time, Russian troops seized control over much of Eastern Europe including Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia among others.
The conflict in Ukraine is about more than geopolitical power, it is also about identity. For many Ukrainians the movement for Ukrainian independence from Russia represents a long struggle to regain their own history and culture after so many years under Russian rule. For example, the word “Ukraine” comes from the old Slavic word meaning “borderland.” However, Russian leaders see Ukraine as an integral part of Russia and feel they are entitled to its resources and territory because of their shared ethnic heritage. These cultural differences have caused problems between both countries since 1991 when Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union (USSR) which collapsed in 1991
