In November, then-prime minister Viktor Yanukovych was declared winner, despite allegations of vote-rigging by election observers. The 2004 Ukrainian presidential election was controversial. In the years after the dissolution of the USSR, several former Eastern Bloc countries joined NATO, which Russian leaders described as a violation of Western powers' assurances that NATO would not expand eastward. In 1999, Russia was one of the signatories of the Charter for European Security, which "reaffirmed the inherent right of each and every participating State to be free to choose or change its security arrangements, including treaties of alliance, as they evolve".
In return, Russia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US) agreed to uphold the territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine through the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances. Former Soviet nuclear weapons in Ukraine were removed to Russia and dismantled.
In 1994, Ukraine agreed to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear-weapon state. See also: Colour revolution, Russia–Ukraine relations, and Ukraine–European Union relationsĪfter the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1991, Ukraine and Russia maintained close ties. 1.2 Euromaidan, Revolution of Dignity, war in Donbasīackground Post-Soviet context and Orange Revolution.1.1 Post-Soviet context and Orange Revolution.Over two million people have fled their homes in the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II and the first major humanitarian crisis within Europe since the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s. Citing the new sanctions and "aggressive statements", Putin placed Russia's nuclear forces on higher alert on 27 February, raising tensions between the West and Russia, and increasing fears of nuclear war. Various countries have given humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Some companies began to boycott Russia and Belarus. Protests occurred around the world those in Russia have been met with mass arrests and increased media censorship, including banning the terms "war" and "invasion". Many countries imposed new sanctions, triggering a financial crisis in Russia. The invasion received widespread international condemnation, including by the United Nations General Assembly, which adopted Resolution ES-11/1. In a multi-pronged assault launched from Russian, Belarusian, and disputed Crimean and Donbas territories, Russian forces approached or besieged a number of key settlements such as Kherson, Mariupol, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and the capital Kyiv, but met stiff military and local resistance and began to experience logistical and other challenges that hampered their progress. Minutes later, missiles and airstrikes struck places across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, shortly followed by a large-scale ground invasion from multiple directions, prompting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enact martial law and general mobilisation. On 24 February, about 5 am EET (UTC+2), Putin announced a "special military operation" to " demilitarise and denazify" Ukraine. The next day, Russia's Federation Council unanimously authorised use of military force, and Russian soldiers entered both territories. On 21 February 2022, Russia recognised the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, two self-proclaimed states controlled by pro-Russian separatists in Donbas. The United States and others accused Russia of planning to invade Ukraine, with Russian officials repeatedly issuing denials as late as 23 February 2022. Putin also baselessly accused Ukraine of committing genocide against its Russian speakers. During this period, Russia's president Vladimir Putin espoused Russian irredentist views, questioned Ukraine's right to statehood, and accused NATO of threatening Russia's security, demanding that Ukraine be barred from ever joining the alliance.
In 2021, Russia began assembling military forces along its border with Ukraine, creating an international crisis. Īfter the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, and Russian-backed separatist forces seized part of the south-eastern Ukrainian region of the Donbas, launching an ongoing war in the region. It is the largest conventional military attack in Europe since World War II. Russia began an invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014.
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