Budapest Memorandum (1994); Ukraine gave up its nukes.
Ukraine first inquires into becoming an EU member (2002)
Putin's poisoning of Yushchenko.
Putin's attempt to install Yanukovych by rigging the election
The Orange Revolution
Election of Yushchenko in a free and fair election
Yanukovych wins Presidency on platform seeking EU membership
Yanukovych disarms Ukraine.
Yanukovych negotiates agreement with EU, near finalization
Putin puts horse's head at the foot of Yanukovych's bed
Yanukovych tears up EU agreementv
The people protest (the Maidan)
Yanukovych orders security forces to "shoot to kill"
Over 100 people are murdered by Yanukovych's forces
The Rada is outraged and seeks to impeach Yanukovych
Yanukovych flees to Moscow
Yanukovych removed from office in 328-0 vote
Caretaker President appointed by Rada
Elections are held within three months
Petro Poroshenko is elected in first round with 54.7% of the vote.
Yanukovych's mansion is exposed to the public
Putin's "little green men" seized the building of the Supreme Council of Crimea and the building of the Council of Ministers in Simferopol.
Igor "Strelkov" Girkin and a crack brigade of Russian troops instigated a violent coup in eastern Ukraine.
A Russian brigade, on average, consists of 5,000 troops.
Alexander Borodai, former 'Prime Minister' of the DPR, said 50,000 "Russian volunteers" had fought in the first five months of the 2014 war.
Russian-backed separatists seized Ukrainian government buildings in the Donbas and declared the Donetsk and Luhansk republics (DPR and LPR) as independent states.
By August 2014, Ukraine had re-taken most separatist-held territory and nearly regained control of the Russia/Ukraine border.
In response, Russia sent troops, tanks and artillery into the Donbas.
The War of the Donbas was waged, with 50,000 Russian troops fighting on the separatist side.
Battle of Ilovisk. Ukraine forces in Ilovaisk outnumbered by enemy by 18 times. Russia was waging war with overwhelming force.
Minsk 2014 (Sept.) established a truce
Russia reloaded, and repeatedly broke the truce.
Heavy fighting resumed in January 2015, during which Russia captured Donetsk Airport.
Minsk 2015 (12 Feb. 2015)
Russia deployed "a large amount of artillery and multiple rocket launcher systems around Debaltseve", and was responsible for shelling of the city.
Petro Poroshenko ordered his troops to observe the ceasefire IF the Russian side did, as well.
During the course of 15 Feb, shelling struck Ukrainian positions, and separatist forces made multiple attacks upon the city from the west and east, storming government positions in the nearby village of Chornukhyne.
Both sides built extensive trenches, resulting in static trench warfare.
In 2017, on average a Ukrainian soldier died in combat every three days, with an estimated 40,000 separatist and 6,000 Russian troops in the region.
By the end of 2017, OSCE observers had counted around 30,000 people in military gear crossing from Russia at the two border checkpoints it was allowed to monitor. The OSCE also documented military convoys crossing from Russia covertly. OSCE catches Russia bringing war to Donbas by night, https://khpg.org//en/1534013815