In 2014, Russian troops forcibly obliged the parliament of Crimea to organise a referendum, which was illegitimate under international law, and then illegally annexed the peninsula and brought it under Russian territorial control. The annexation has been condemned by the UN, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula.
Russia's economy has felt serious impact from the international sanctions its unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The ruble has weakened and inflation is soaring. Despite Moscow's welcoming efforts, Foreign Direct Investment is falling. Hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens have fled the country since the outbreak the invasion. Sanctions on Russia's banking and financial system, the embargo on electronic components and the price caps on Russian oil and petroleum products have also led to serious consequences for the Russian economy.
The referendum in Crimea was neither legitimate nor democratic. On 26 February 2014, the Russian Federation deployed members of its armed forces to gain control over parts of the Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian Government. The next day a referendum was announced and a vote was held on March 16, 2014, in the Peninsula of Crimea. The territory was then controlled by Russian forces, and neither Ukrainian nor Russian election code was observed.
In 2014, Russian troops obliged the parliament of Crimea to organise a referendum, which was illegitimate under international law, and then illegally annexed the peninsula and brought it under Russian territorial control. The annexation has been condemned by the UN, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. A year after the illegal annexation, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the so-called referendum.
No credible evidence was provided to back the claim. "The SVR, the main successor to the KGB's First Directorate foreign spying service, advanced the accusation of the US planned cyberattacks on Russian electoral system but did not set out any evidence for its assertions," Reuters noted. Russia has for several years refused to formally invite OSCE election observers to monitor elections within its territory. The most recent instance when the OSCE observed elections in Russia was in 2018.
On March 14, 2024, the Ukrainian national operator Energoatom announced the disconnection of the second power unit of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant from the network. The shutdown of the power unit was attributed to a mechanical failure in a turbine that generates electricity through steam pressure. The reactor remains fully functional, as do the nuclear fuel assemblies. Energoatom highlighted that the decision to shut down the turbine unit at KhNPP was made due to an excess of electricity in the market. All other power units are operating normally at their rated capacity, posing no threat to the station's nuclear safety.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presented the 2023 report, which covers all aspects of the Alliance's work over the past year. Speaking about NATO support for Ukraine, Stoltenberg noted that in 2023, a number of member countries sent long-range systems to Ukraine for the first time - British Storm Shadow missiles and French SCALP. The allies also agreed to supply F-16 aircraft to Ukraine.
Poland, France and Germany adhere to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. No state, except the Russian Federation, violated Ukraine's territorial integrity in a display of imperial, revisionist aggression.
The Ukrainian government is not killing its own citizens. In fact, its population is defending itself against Russia's armed aggression in a remarkable display of continued courage and determination. Ukraine's sovereignty has been violated only as a result of continuous acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces since 2014, culminating with a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine starting on 24 February 2022.
The Anaconda plan was a military strategy proposed by Union General Winfield Scott early in the American Civil War. The plan called for a naval blockade of the Confederate littoral, thrust down the Mississippi, and the strangulation of the South by Union land and naval forces. It has nothing to do with modern politics and despite frequent disinformation claims in this regard, there is no evidence backing the idea that a so-called 'Anaconda ring' or a similar strategy exists.