a revolution occupied and annexed disputed referendum war in eastern Ukraine invasion of Ukraine conventional war international condemnation expanded sanctions Council of Europe United Nations Human Rights Council partial mobilisation annexation of four Ukrainian regions denounced as illegal state sponsor of terrorism estimated to have been killed demographic crisis Ukrainian World War I Russian referendum Ukraine Lithuania World War II
In early 2014, following a revolution in Ukraine, Russia occupied and annexed Crimea from neighbouring Ukraine following a disputed referendum, with Russian troops later participating in a war in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops. In a major escalation of the conflict, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The invasion marked the largest conventional war in Europe since World War II, and was met with international condemnation, as well as expanded sanctions against Russia. As a result, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in March, and was suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council in April. In September, following successful Ukrainian counteroffensives, Putin announced a "partial mobilisation", Russia's first mobilisation since World War II. By the end of September, Putin proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, the largest annexation in Europe since World War II. Putin and Russian-installed leaders signed treaties of accession, internationally unrecognized and widely denounced as illegal, despite the fact that Russian forces have been unable to fully occupy any of the four regions. A number of supranational and national parliaments passed resolutions declaring Russia to be a state sponsor of terrorism. In addition, Russia was declared a terrorist state by Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Hundreds of thousands are estimated to have been killed as a result of the invasion. The war in Ukraine has further exacerbated Russia's demographic crisis.
