Annexation of Crimea; war begins in Donbas — Key Events — Ukraine–Russia

What happened

Russia seizes and annexes Crimea in a near-bloodless operation, then ignites a proxy war in Donetsk and Luhansk that kills ~14,000 over eight years.

The first forcible annexation in Europe since 1945 — and the template Moscow believed would work again at scale in 2022.

Confidence: High

WhenFeb – Mar 2014

WhereCrimea

KindTerritorial change · Military · Political

ArenaThe eastern front

Confidence: High Sources: Established historical record Methodology Corrections

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Where this fits

This is one entry in the Ukraine–Russia timeline. The full Key Events surface carries every dated turning point with its filters and its essential subset, and this event in place shows what came before and after it. How Vigil grades, dates and sources its claims is set out in the methodology.