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Russia sent troops and military equipment into Ukraine in what has been termed a stealth invasion[1] following the February 2014 Ukrainian revolution and Euromaidan movement, the flight and disputed impeachment of President Viktor Yanukovych[2][3][4] and the subsequent 2014 Crimean crisis. In February, during that crisis, unmarked soldiers gradually took control of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, which Russia then annexed;[5] London-based military experts said the soldiers were likely Russian special forces (possibly including Spetsnaz commandos) and airborne units,[6] and although Russia initially insisted that Russian forces stationed in the area[7] were not involved, Russian president Vladimir Putin admitted in April that Russian troops had been active in Crimea and said this had laid the ground for the referendum.[8][9][10]

In August, unmarked troops and military vehicles from Russia also crossed into the Donbass region, escalating the Russian-backed war against Ukrainian forces there.[11][12] Russia has distanced itself from allegations of military involvement in the Donbass,[13] though the United States[14] has accused it of being behind the unrest and war there,[15] and videos of Russian soldiers captured in Ukraine, comments by rebel leaders such as Zakharchenko[16][17] and statements such as that of the head of the Russian Union of Committees of Soldiers' Mothers, Valentina Melnikova[18] (reported by Corey Flintoff of NPR) have established that Russian service personnel are fighting in Ukraine.

At the beginning of the insurgency, the prime ministers of Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk were Russian citizens; they were succeeded by Ukrainian citizens by August.[19] Many of the separatist fighters are Russian citizens, with many claimed to be former military personnel.[citation needed] The SBU claims key commanders of the rebel movement during this time, including Igor Strelkov and Igor Bezler, are Russian agents.[20][21] American and Ukrainian officials said they had evidence of Russian interference in Ukraine, including intercepted communications between Russian officials and Donbass insurgents.[22] Separatist leaders like Alexei Moskovoy visited Moscow and were evasive about who was supplying their weapons.[23] There is also evidence that indicates the Buk missile system, widely believed to have been used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on 17 July, came from Russia.[24] In late August, NATO released satellite images which it said showed evidence of Russian operations inside Ukraine with sophisticated weaponry,[25] and after the heavy defeat[26] of Ukrainian forces by early September, it was evident Russia had sent soldiers and armour across the border and locals acknowledged the role of Putin and Russian soldiers in effecting a reversal of fortunes.[27][28][29]

On 5 September, representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic signed the Minsk Protocol, a twelve-point agreement that implemented a ceasefire.[30] On 10 September, Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko said most of the Russian forces had withdrawn from Ukrainian territory, and that this heightened the chances for a lasting cease-fire in the southeast.[31] On 13 September, it was reported Russia had sent a convoy of aid into eastern Ukraine without inspection by Ukraine, claiming this convoy was part of the ceasefire agreement.[32] NATO said Russian forces were still operating in Ukraine in unknown numbers, and the ceasefire was not working. NATO said Russian forces were repositioning to bring great pressure on Mariupol.[33]

Several members of the international community and organizations such as Amnesty International have criticized Russia for its actions in post-revolutionary Ukraine, and condemned Russia, accusing it of breaking international law and violating Ukrainian sovereignty. Many countries implemented economic sanctions against Russia or Russian individuals or companies, to which Russia responded in kind. The Kremlin has tried to systematically intimidate and silence human rights workers who have raised questions about Russian soldiers' deaths in the conflict.[34]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNBCx1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference RadioFreeEurope was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Aljz01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference WIRDIU was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wpostx01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Russian special forces on Crimea frontline: experts". Gulf News. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  7. ^ Dilanian, Ken. "CIA reportedly says Russia sees treaty as justifying Ukraine moves", Los Angeles Times (3 March 2014): "CIA director John Brennan told a senior lawmaker Monday that a 1997 treaty between Russia and Ukraine allows up to 25,000 Russia troops in the vital Crimea region, so Russia may not consider its recent troop movements to be an invasion, U.S. officials said. The number of Russian troops that have surged into Ukraine in recent days remains well below that threshold, Brennan said, according to U.S. officials who declined to be named in describing private discussions and declined to name the legislator."
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference uk.reuters.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Putin's remarks raise fears of future moves against Ukraine - The Washington Post". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  10. ^ "President of Russia". Eng.kremlin.ru. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  11. ^ "Kerry wil opheldering over Tsjetsjenen in Oekraïne - Onrust in Oekraïne - VK". volkskrant.nl. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Rebels in Besieged Ukrainian City Reportedly Being Reinforced". TIME. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  13. ^ "Ukraine says 2 columns of tanks from Russia have entered strategic town". Globalnews.ca. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference StateDept was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Russia blasts US assessment of events in Ukraine's southeast". ITAR-TASS. Russia. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  16. ^ "Russians troops fighting in Ukraine? Naw. They're just on 'vacation.'". The Washington Post. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014. "Among us are fighting serving [Russian] soldiers, who would rather take their vacation not on a beach but with us, among brothers, who are fighting for their freedom," Alexander Zakharchenko said in a reported interview with a Russian state television station.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference tnyt0x02 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ [1] NPR, "Russia Reports Troop Deaths in Ukraine, But Calls Them 'Volunteers'"
  19. ^ New York Times, 20 August 2014
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference tg0x01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference tgox02 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Josh Rogin; Eli Lake (29 April 2014). "Kerry: U.S. Taped Moscow's Calls to Its Ukraine Spies". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  23. ^ bbc news report
  24. ^ The Guardian, 17 July 2014 [2], the buk that downed flight mh17 inside Russia controlled by Russian troops
  25. ^ Channel 4 news 28 August 2014
  26. ^ Channel 4 News, 2 September 2014 tensions still high in Ukraine
  27. ^ New York Review of Books, October 2014 what putin has won
  28. ^ Kyiv post 25 September 2014 how the war transformed
  29. ^ the guardian.com 3 September 2014, truth horrible moscow
  30. ^ "Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels 'sign ceasefire deal'". BBC News Online. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5. september 2014, 13:29 GMT. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  31. ^ New York Times, 11 September 2014
  32. ^ AP, 13 September 2014
  33. ^ AFP 20 September 2014
  34. ^ Moscow Times. "Moscow Stifles Dissent as Soldiers Return From Ukraine in Coffins"

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